Two Brothers, an Angel, and a Time Lord
by lucifersfavoritechild75
Summary: Dean and Sam fight a Greek god, the Doctor is pulled into the Supernatural universe, Dean is too stupid to realize he's in love with Cas, and Cas might be falling for a certain Time Lord. And what does the Master have to do with this?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Doctor Who, their stories, or their characters. But if I did, there would be a LOT more sex in them.

* * *

Dean groaned when he felt the fist connect with his jaw. He groaned again when he realized he'd been all but thrown against the wall. His eyes opened of their own accord. A man with sharp features and ink black hair stood fighting Sam, who was losing. The man's body gave off a weird blue glow as he slammed his fist into Sam's gut. Sam folded in half with a painful groan. The man took out a shining bronze dagger and raised it so that he could bury it into Sam's neck.

Still a little dizzy, Dean quickly got up on my feet and tackled him. The man shouted loudly and swore. His hands wrapped around Dean's neck. My vision filled with black spots.

 _Ok_ , he thought, _time to call Cas_.

"Cas." he spluttered out, voice weak. The man tightened his grip. Dean gathered all my strength and pushed against him, knocking him away. "Castiel!"

The man stood up and stalked towards him, snarling. Before he got too close though, there was the rustle of leaves and Castiel appeared behind him. His face was cold and unfeeling as he grabbed the unnamed man by the arm and pulled him back. The man's eyes widened as he looked at Castiel. Castiel raised his other hand, which held an angel blade, positioned it to strike the man's heart.

"NO!" The man shouted and twisted away from Castiel, knocking his blade away. He pulled back his arm and punched him in the face. If a human had done that, they probably would have broken several bones. But Castiel staggered back as the man backed away. His body shined a light, sleep blue. The light completely overtook his body and the room until it was the only thing you could see. Then he was gone.

* * *

"I still don't know what he was."

Dean stared dug around in the fridge at Bobby's house while talking to Sam. He pulled out a beer and and sat down next to his brother. "Well what could he be?"

"I have no idea. I thought it was a djinn at first, but there's no way a djinn could've done that. A god maybe?"

"What, you mean like a pagan?"

Sam shrugged."Maybe."

"Well what would a pagan want with a bunch of sleeping people?"

"I honestly have no idea."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Then Sam said, "So, we saw Cas today."

"I know. I was there."

"He saved us."

"Yeah. So." Dean looked at him with annoyance.

"I was just thinking, maybe you should tell him how you feel."

"How I _feel?_ Sam, what the hell are you talking about!"

Sam sighed. Why did he bring this up? "Ok, maybe this is a bad time." He started to stand up.

Dean stood up too. "No Sam, what did you mean?"

Sam sighed. "Well, it's pretty obvious that you and Cas...you know."

Sam looked uncomfortable. Dean looked livid.

"No, ok? No, no, a million times no. Cas is my friend, and what you're saying is just wrong."

Sam started to argue, but just then there was the sound of rustling wings and Castiel stood in front of them. His face was impassive. "Hello Dean. Sam." There was an awkward pause. Then Sam said, "Hey Cas. Did you found out what that guy was?"

Castiel nodded. "Yes, I know who it is."

Dean looked at him. There were standing their usual two inches apart and staring at each other, but Dean looked uncomfortable and even Cas seemed more awkward than usual. Finally, Dean snapped. "Are you actually going to tell us, or are you just gonna stand there looking stupid?"

Castiel's head jolted for a moment. He looked taken aback, and it was obvious his eyes were wet. "Yes. He is the god Hypnos."

"Hypnos? The Greek god?" Sam was staring at Cas wide eyed.

"Yes. He is the Greek god of dreams. It's...strange."

Dean asked, "Why's it strange?"

"Hypnos is usually a neutral figure, neither good nor bad. He's never done anything like this before. But that's not the strangest thing."

"Seriously? There's more?" Dean looked like he was done.

Castiel nodded. "Yes. The people he was putting to sleep weren't just people. They were gods, as well."

"Why would a god be attacking other gods?" Sam asked, looking confused.

"I don't know."

"Well, what kind of gods were they?" Dean asked, staring at him intently. Castiel, however, refused to meet his eyes.

"There were eight of them. One was Greek, another Mayan, one Norse, one Hindu, one Egyptian, one Polynesian, one Celtic, and the final one was Japanese. Their powers were various. I can see no connection apart from the fact that they were all pagans."

Sam nodded. "Anything else?"

Castiel nodded. "Yes. They had all been stripped of their powers. As weak as any human. Worse, since whatever took their powers injured them greatly." He stood there for a moment then said, "Goodbye."

And he was gone.

* * *

Castiel stood looking up at the temple. The black stone shone in the silver moonlight. There was an onyx statue of a woman over 10 feet tall in front of the building. Her face looked down at Castiel with a serene expression. Her arms reached over her head, her hands holding a full moon. Nyx. Daughter of chaos, consort of darkness. It seemed oddly fitting to the angel standing before her.

Tears streamed down his face. He made no attempt to rid himself of them. He felt like an idiot. He had been standing in the hallway outside of Bobby's kitchen. Dean often complained about him just flying in, and he had been attempting to rectify it. Unfortunately, he had heard Sam and Dean talking and had stopped to listen. He didn't mean to spy, but he couldn't help himself. Now he wished he hadn't.

"He had known for a long time of course that he was in love with Dean. How could he not love him? He was amazing. Of course, he would be more amazing if he hadn't just crushed all of Castiel's feelings under his foot.

He didn't know when he'd sat down, or when he'd allowed his wings to wrap around his huddled body. It hurt to look at them. They'd been white once, but had been badly burned in Hell. Now they were completely black. Usually he liked to look at them, he liked the reminder that it had been him who saved Dean. Now the reminder of his hunter was as painful as remembering his words.

He eventually became aware of the tears and raised his hand to wipe them away. He made it so that his wings were no longer visible on this plain and stayed huddled. After a few more minutes he stood up, but he didn't know where to go. He wasn't welcome in Heaven, and he definitely didn't want to see Dean. So he just stood there, staring at the statue.

Slowly, he became aware of a strange sound. He wasn't sure how to describe it, but it was getting louder. He turned around...and stared at the deep blue box.

* * *

The Doctor walked around the console, flipping switches and pushing buttons for his own amusement. Anything to ignore the silence.

There was no companion. No Rose, no Martha, no Donna, not even Jack.

He closed his eyes.

In his mind he saw the Master, standing in front of Rassilon, the way he'd been seconds before he...died? Left? He didn't know. He just knew that he was gone and it hurt.

On the bright side though, he's still alive. Yay.

He looked at one of the screens. He was about to move, but he realized that something was wrong. 15...23...41...this isn't good.

Lights started flashing. Red, blue, green. The cloister alarm clanged throughout the TARDIS. The TARDIS itself was shaking, as though there were an earthquake. The Doctor grabbed one of the coral like supports and held onto it. It didn't work. He was knocked onto his back and rolled on the ground. In his head, he could hear the TARDIS screeching. For a single moment, he went blind.

When his eyesight returned, the TARDIS stopped. The console was calm, there were no more lights or alarms. Just him.

Carefully, he stood up. Everything _seemed_ normal. This usually meant that nothing was. The readings were all normal, but that didn't tell him anything. He checked where he was. Greece, Earth, 21st century. TARDIS hummed angrily. He tried to move it, but nothing worked. The TARDIS refused to budge an inch.

The Doctor shrugged. "Well, let's go and have a look then," he said, grinning. Then he looked around and continued, "I'm talking to myself. That's definitely not good." He shrugged and grabbed his coat, practically skipping at the doors. He seemed happy. He seemed normal. Nobody would have ever guessed how broken he was.

Outside, it was the night. The full moon shone silver on the black building in front of him. He looked up at the imposing onyx statue. He only looked at that for a second though. Something else had caught his eye.

There was a man standing in front of the statue. He had dark hair that looked black, but might be brown. His eyes were a bright blue that reminded the Doctor of the oceans on Ariellus. But underneath that, he was shining white. Two giant black wings stretched out behind him, reaching out for the sky.

The Doctor smiled. "Hello!"

* * *

Castiel stood staring at the man that had come out of the blue box. He had dark brown hair and eyes and a happy grin. But his soul...it was golden and looked like it was made up of thousands of tiny gears, the kind you would find in a clock.. It wrapped around him, swirling inside his body, and at some points lashing out at the space around him. It was beautiful. I thought of Dean's soul. It glowed bright white but was dimmed in places, like scars. It was all the more beautiful for those spots, though.

For a moment, he smiled at the thought of Dean and his amazing soul. Then he remembered, and wanted to cry again.

The man with the strange soul must have noticed his sudden change in moods. He frowned and crept closer. "Are you alright? Did something happen?" He placed one hand on Castiel's shoulder in comfort.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." Castiel frowned at the man. "Who are you?"

The man grinned widely, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm the Doctor! Hello!"

"Hello Doctor."

"Huh. You know, normally when I introduce myself, people ask me 'Doctor Who?'."

Castiel frowned. "Would you like me to do that as well?"

"Oh no, no, no, I don't mind. Although, you still haven't told me your name." The Doctor looked at him with what has often been described as "puppy eyes". His tongue rested in the corner of his mouth. Castiel thought he was quite handsome.

"I'm Castiel."

"Like the angel!"

A smile tugged at Castiel's mouth. He was about to answer, but the Doctor's eyes widened and he said, "Ohhhh, now I get it! You're an angel! Oh, that's amazing! I've never met an angel before! Well, I have actually, but they were made of stone and trying to kill me, and I really hope that's not how this is going to end." Now he was looking off in the distance, but in a second he clapped his hands together and smiled again. "So! Hi."

"Hello."

They were silent.

"So, anyway, I'm not really sure how I got here or why, do you think you could maybe help me out a bit?"

Before Castiel could say anything though, his phone rang.

He looked like he was in pain as he pulled his phone out. "Hello Dean?"

Castiel listened to the man on the phone talk for a minute. Castiel nodded several times, and finally said "Yes Dean" and hung up.

He looked at the Doctor and said, "I have to go."

"Great, I'll come with you!"

Castiel stared at him. "I'm going to be flying."

"Ok."

"You don't even know where I'm going."

"Well, I'm not really able to go anywhere right now, so…"

"Ok."

"Wonderful! Just let me get something real quick." He turned and jogged back into the box. Castiel looked after him, but didn't see anything. "Ok. I'll just wait here then."

* * *

The Doctor looked around the console for the box. He'd just had it, now where…

"Ah! Got it!" He was holding a small black box. When he opened it, there was a silver ring. The middle was green with small silver stones with circular Gallifreyan carved into them. He'd recovered it from the prison after the Master's botched resurrection. He was going to get rid of it, but he couldn't. So instead he kept it on the console where he could see it whenever he wanted to.

He stiffened. It was like he could feel somebody watching him, but when he turned around there was no one there.

He put it in his pocket and and left quickly, not stopping to look back at the room once.

* * *

The Doctor left the TARDIS looking sullen. When he saw Castiel, he immediately perked up. It was hard to tell if his smile was fake or not.

Castiel was staring at the TARDIS. "What is that?"

"The Doctor looked back at the blue box. "That," he said, pointing at it, "is my TARDIS."

"That does not make the matter any clearer."

"Well it's a time machine. And a space ship."

"Oh." He paused. "Why is it called a TARDIS?"

"Well it stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space."

"Oh. Are you ready to go?"

"Yep. Allons-y!" He started walking off in a random direction.

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"We're flying, remember?"

"Oh. Yes. Quite right. Let's go." He'd gone from awkward to cheerful in seconds, and was happily walking back to Castiel's side.

Castiel placed two fingers to his forehead. One second they were standing in front of a temple in Greece. In the next, they were gone. /span/p

* * *

Deep blue eyes stared at the place where only a second ago a Time Lord and angel had stood. Hypnos felt an urge to snarl at the spot, but restrained himself. He was a god, not an animal. Or worse, a _human._ The thought filled him with disgust.

His sister would not be pleased, he knew. He had stolen the other gods' powers, but now they were gone and he did not yet know where. Worse still, they had attracted the attention of hunters _and_ an angel. This was not good.

On the bright side, the second plan had worked. The Time Lord was here now as his sister's consort had wished. This, at least, was good. She would be pleased when he delivered this news.

Hypnos left the temple, more subtly then he had escaped the angel earlier. There was only a dim blue shimmer around him as he transported himself to Olympus.

Once he was there, he stared up at the Pantheon. Once it had been made of a glowing white stone available only to the gods. Now the stone was a deep black, like oblivion, with streaks of silver, purple, blue, and green.

Hypnos walked up the steps and into the temple. Where before there had been 12 thrones - one for each of the major gods - there were shining silver cages lining the room. Half of these cages contained naked people, malnourished and ill-looking. Blood coated their chests. The remaining cages only held bones.

In the middle of the room there were two thrones. The first was made of the same black material that now made up the temple, with silver plating in places. The chair had several scenes of people either fighting or dead carved into it. Hypnos stared at one image of a man tied to a pole while others thrust swords and spears at him. The image made him vaguely uncomfortable, a feeling he soon dismissed.

The second throne was completely different. It was golden and shining with black cushioning which the first had not bothered with. It had images carved into as well, but they made no sense to Hypnos. Rather than normal pictures, it had many connected circles carved into it, supposedly in the form of words.

The most impressive thing, however, were not the thrones themselves. Rather, it was the people sitting upon them.

The person in the first throne was a woman. She had extraordinarily pale white skin and acid green eyes. Her hair was as black as her brother's, but wavy and fell to her waist. Her features were as sharp as the blade of a knife. Her resting face was that of a sneer. Her clothes were a long black dress in soft, almost transparent, silk. It was embroidered with purple thread in the images of fire and war.

The second person was a man. His skin was tan in some lights, but pale in others, Now he seemed almost golden, with white-blond hair and eyes that had been brown, but were now as gold and shining as the throne he sat upon. His clothes were black with silver circles embroidered on them. His eyes surveyed the people in the cages with a hungry look, but he restrained himself.

The woman rose from her seat and walked gracefully towards Hypnos. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders in a loving hug. "Brother, you have returned!" She sounded happy.

"Hello Eris. I'm glad to see you as well."

"Did you get them?" She smiled. Her eyes were aglow. She had the same hungry look as her husband.

"I stole the other god's powers." Hypnos held out his hands, and a glass ball grew above them, a rainbow of shining colors swirling inside.

Eris clapped. "You have down well brother." Eris took the ball and held it carefully in her hands. The ball glowed bright white, then vanished. Eris let out a contented moan. She looked at her brother, still smiling. "But what of the other gods? I requested you bring them back for my consort, remember?"

Hypnos gulped. "There was a problem."

Eris stopped smiling. Her expression was icy, her tone colder still. "A problem, brother?"

Hypnos fought to keep his voice from shaking. "Hunters."

"Hunters!" Eris erupted. Her face was one of pure rage. "You allowed _hunters_ to stop you! This is-"

"It wasn't just hunters! There was an angel!"

Eris stalled in her rampage. Her tone was soft, her eyes resting on a silver streak in the floor. "An angel."

Eris straightened her back in an instant, staring at him again. She didn't seem as angry as she had a moment ago, but she definitely wasn't smiling. "Very well brother, I shall not punish you for this." She turned to walk back to her throne.

"I saw something else. After I had left. The Time Lord. He is here."

His sister whipped back around to face him, and for the first time since Hypnos had returned, the man in the second throne spoke. "He's here?" He was leaning forward eagerly, and looked and sounded like an astonished child.

Hypnos nodded. "Yes. In fact, I saw him conversing with the angel. They…" He paused. He did not know how they would react to this. "They left. I know not where."

The golden man sat back in his throne and scowled. Eris, on the other hand, seemed almost ecstatic. "Hunters, an angel, and a Time Lord! What fun!" She turned to face the other man. "Isn't it, Master?"

The Master smiled at her, though he still seemed somewhat annoyed. "Great fun, my goddess. Great fun."


	2. Chapter 2

Dean paced the living room in front of Bobby's couch. "Where the Hell is he?"

"Dean," Sam said patiently, "you only called him a couple of minutes ago."

"He's usually here two seconds after I call."

Sam didn't say anything. He knew Dean was right.

"Maybe you should call him again-"

This was not necessary, as Castiel appeared before Sam had even properly finished his sentence. Dean walked towards him at first, looking ready to yell, but stopped. Standing beside Castiel was a thin man with dark brown hair and eyes and wearing a brown suit with blue pinstripes. The man stumbled back a step or two, looking a bit sick, but then smiled.

"Wow! That was good, we should do that again sometime!" He turned to look at Dean. "Hello! I'm the Doctor!"

Dean and Sam just stared at him.

"Cas," Dean began, still staring at the Doctor, "who the hell is this?"

"He's the Doctor." Castiel spoke the words as though they explained everything.

Dean stared at him in disbelief. "Yeah, I got that."

"Then there should be no confusion." Castiel's tone was cold. "Why did you call me?"

Dean looked taken aback at his friend's harsh tone. He looked at the Doctor suspiciously. "We'll get back to you."

The Doctor just smiled at him. He seemed used to suspicion. "Take your time."

Dean's look was one of contempt. Sam sat watching the exchange in silence.

"Dean." Castiel said, his tone harsh. "Why did you call me?"

Dean turned back to him. "You just left earlier before we finished talking to you."

"And?"

"Annnd, we need to finish talking!"

"Ok. Talk." Castiel stood with his arms crossed. The Doctor was standing off to his side, his gaze switching between Dean and the angel, almost like he was watching a tennis tournament.

Sam stood up. "Well first we need to know exactly which gods were attacked and what their powers were."

"Hi, um," the Doctor began, "what is this about gods?"

* * *

And that is how Castiel spent half an hour explaining every painstaking detail of the supernatural world to the Doctor while ignoring Dean. He only spoke to Dean once when he asked a question and his tone made it clear that another such interruption would not be welcome.

The Doctor stared at Castiel intently, his centuries old eyes taking in every tiny detail. Castiel's eyes were a deep ocean blue, his hair was dark brown, his skin was at the perfect place in between tan and pale. He was about as tall as the Doctor himself, but his demeanor was one of a warrior. He had slight crow's feet that the Doctor found strangely endearing.

In short, he was beautiful.

Castiel finished his spiel. For a moment, everyone just sat there in silence.

"Who the hell is that?!"

All four of them turned to face Bobby, who was standing in the doorway.

"Well?"

"I honestly have no idea." That was Sam, who looked like he really wanted to leave. The only thing more uncomfortable than seeing how the Doctor looked at Cas was seeing how Dean looked at the Doctor. That is, like he was going to kill him at the first chance.

"You." Bobby pointed at the Doctor. The Doctor's eyes widened and he placed a hand to his chest. "Yeah, _you._ Who and what the hell are you?"

"I'm the Doctor. Hi!" He grinned and waved his hand cheerfully.

Bobby continued to stare at him. "Who and what?"

"Doctor, Alien, Species: Time Lord. Hi!"

Bobby stared at him for a few minutes. Then he turned to Dean and asked him, "Is he ok?"

"I honestly have no idea. Cas, where the hell did you get this guy?"

"Greece. He had a blue box. It is called a TARDIS."

The Doctor smiled at him. "You remembered!"

"Are they serious?" Bobby had a bottle of water in his hand and was uncapping it.

"Yes I am- ahh!" The Doctor had received a face full of holy water. He stared at Bobby in shock. "That was very rude!"

"Well, he's not a demon."

"I think I would have noticed that Bobby," Castiel said to him coldly.

"Well, somebody's in a mood."

"Really? Who?" The Doctor was adorable in his cluelessness.

Bobby stared at the Doctor for a moment before turning to Castiel and asking him, "Is he for real?"

Castiel set his jaw and nodded. "Yes."

"And he's really an alien?"

"Yes."

Sam asked him, "How do you know?"

"I can see his soul. It is not that of a human, but he is not a monster or a demon."

Dean asked mockingly, "What's his soul like?"

Castiel stood silent for a moment, contemplating the question. Finally, he said. "Gold and shining." His voice was almost reverent.

Everyone was silent.

"I have two hearts." Everyone stared at the Doctor. "Just in case anyone wanted to know."

"We didn't." Dean snapped at him.

"Dean," Castiel spoke to him for the first time in half an hour, "you called me because you wanted to speak."

"Yeah, and then you spent half an hour talking to a goddamn Martian! What the hell, man?"

Castiel didn't answer him. Instead, he turned to Sam and asked, "What is it you need?"

Sam had been watching the whole thing as though waiting for an explosion. Now he sat up straight and said awkwardly, "Well, uh, like Dean said earlier, we need all the names and powers of the gods that Hypnos had captured."

Castiel nodded. "There was Pele, she is the Polynesian goddess of fire and volcanoes. There was Chac, who is the Mayan god of fertility, known for benevolence. There was Euterpe, one of the nine Greek muses, particularly known for music. There's Baldr, Norse god of light. There was Amatsu Mikaboshi, the Japanese god of evil. Then Shiva, the Hindu god of war. Ankou, the Celtic god of death. And Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the sky."

Sam's eyebrows were furrowed, his face one of intense concentration. "And you're sure that there's no link between any of them?"

"Nothing apart from the fact that they're all pagan gods."

"Well what about the one who took them? Hypnos?" The Doctor was standing next to Bobby, who was still looking at him suspiciously. Everyone turned to look at him when he spoke. "I mean, I'm no mythology expert, but isn't he just the god of dreams? What would he even want with them?"

Castiel told him, "The gods were all stripped of their powers. It may be that Hypnos has stolen them for himself or another."

"Well what happened to the other gods? Didn't you say you'd take care of them?" Dean was staring intensely at Castiel, trying to force him to meet his eyes. It wasn't working.

"I took them to a human hospital to recover from their injuries. It is not safe them to be around other gods at the moment, and they are basically human now."

Sam asked him, "What were they like when you left?"

"Most of them were asleep. Except for Euterpe. She was awake, but also incoherent."

The Doctor asked him, "How was she incoherent?"

Dean rounded on him. "Why the fuck do you care? Shouldn't you be going back to Mars now anyway?"

"Actually, I'm from Gallifrey, which was a completely different planet. Although, it _was_ red…" The Doctor's voice trailed off. He seemed very _old_ all of a sudden.

" _Was?_ What do you mean it _was_ red?" Dean's face was harsh and accusing, although no one was sure what he was accusing him of.

"It's gone." The Doctor's voice was quiet and pained. His face had been drained of blood. In his mind, he saw Gallifrey, he saw red grass and silver trees and twin suns.

"How can an entire planet just be _gone_?"

"It was destroyed."

He saw a young boy with black hair and blue eyes, smiling at him. He saw that same boy huddled in a boy, crying and clutching his head. He saw the Master, standing in front of Rassilon, energy bursting from his hands.

"What can destroy a plan-"

"Dean, leave him alone!" Castiel shouted at him.

Dean looked shocked. Dean _was_ shocked. _Everyone_ was shocked. Except the Doctor, who was trembling with painful memories.

"Dean," Castiel began, his voice restrained, "I know that you have no understanding of the concept of respect, but could you at least be a little _less_ horrible to someone who's clearly in pain."

Nobody said anything.

"I'm going to go check on the gods. Doctor, would you like to join me?"

"No, it's ok, I think I'll stay here for a bit. Maybe take a nap, it's been a couple of weeks since I got any sleep. Besides, I don't want to slow you down." He sounded very nonchalant, as though it didn't matter. Whether he actually did want to stay or wanted to see if Castiel would insist he come anyway, even he didn't know.

"Are you certain?" Castiel looked upset. He really didn't want to leave the Doctor with them.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Go ahead." The Doctor was grinning, but it was fake. He knew it was fake.

Castiel hesitated before nodding slowly. "Alright. I shall return shortly. Dean."

Dean had been staring off into space. Now he snapped to attention. "Yeah."

"Be nice."

Castiel flew away without another word.

* * *

"What the fuck is with him?!" Dean paced the living room. Castiel was gone and the Doctor had gone outside. "He's acting like a douche bag!"

"Did you do something?" Bobby asked him from his position against the wall.

"No!"

"Really?" Bobby said in his most sarcastic of tones. "'Cause you were the only one he was like that to."

Sam was worried. "Do you think he knows what we were talking about earlier?"

Dean stopped in his tracks. "How could he?"

"I don't know. Maybe he heard us talking about him and kept us from seeing him. He can turn himself invisible, remember?"

"Wait a minute." Bobby said. "What were you two idjits talking about earlier?"

Dean scratched behind his ear awkwardly. "Nothing important."

"I doubt that. Sam, what did you two dumb asses say?"

"Well, we were talking about the case and Cas came up."

"You mean _you_ brought Cas up?" Dean asked him accusingly.

"Shut up, Dean. Anyway, Cas came up and I suggested that Dean talk to him about...stuff," he finished awkwardly.

"What sort of _stuff?"_

Dean explained, "He thinks I have a crush on Cas."

Bobby was silent for a moment, his face confused. Then he said, "You mean you _don't?"_

Dean stared at him in shock. " _No!_ Of course not! What the hell is wrong with you two?!"

He didn't wait for an answer. Instead he grabbed his leather jacket off of the back of a chair and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked him worriedly.

"Out!"

* * *

The Doctor sat on top of the hood of an old car, staring out at nothing. He couldn't tell what he was feeling. At first, he'd been worried about the TARDIS and the fact that he seemed to have been sucked into a different universe. Then, he'd met Castiel and had been too excited about meeting him to think about that. And really, who wouldn't be, the man's an angel! A literal angel of the Lord! That's not something you see every day. And he was handsome, so that didn't help.

Then he'd met the other three and...well, he didn't want to be rude, but they were a bit horrible. Especially Dean.

Thinking of Dean made him think of Gallifrey again, and he really didn't want to do that, so he stopped. He needed to concentrate on how he'd got here. There weren't many things that could pull someone out of their universe and into another one. Actually, as far as he knew, _nothing_ could do that. But then again, this _was_ a different universe. One with gods and goddesses and angels apparently. Can't expect it to play by all the same rules.

That left him with...nothing really. Darn.

He was thinking of reasons that the TARDIS might not be working when he realized someone was coming towards him. He tensed before realizing it was Sam. Of the three humans he'd met earlier, Sam seemed to be the most reasonable. So that was something at least.

He smiled cheerfully, hiding his wariness of this new person. "Hello!"

Sam started at the unexpected welcome. "Hey."

"Need something?"

"Uh, no actually, I just wanted to talk to you. If you don't mind."

"No, not at all." He scooted over so that he was only taking up half of the car hood. "Go ahead, have a seat."

"No thanks, I'm good."

"I insist." The Doctor smiled at Sam endearingly. His puppy-dog eyes made it impossible to refuse.

Sam stood still for a moment. Then he sat down awkwardly on the car hood.

"So," the Doctor began, "what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, a few things actually."

"Alrighty then, take it away!"

"Well, first of all, how did you meet Castiel exactly?"

"Oh, it was the weirdest thing. One minute, I'm standing in my TARDIS - that's my time and space machine - and then the next thing I know is I'm being pulled into another universe! Can you believe it!"

"What could do that?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know actually. I've never heard of anything like it. I mean, I've been able to travel to different universes before, but I've never heard of something that can pull someone out of a universe. It's strange." He shrugged again. "Oh well. Anyway, I tried to move my TARDIS, but it refused to budge. So I went outside - I was in Greece, outside some sort of temple - and I saw Castiel. I'm a Time Lord, so I can see more dimensional planes than humans can, so I could see that he had wings - they're beautiful by the way - and I wasn't entirely sure what he was because I'd never seen anyone else like him. I said hello, and he seemed a bit upset so I asked him if anything was wrong. He said no, and I didn't quite believe him, but I didn't want to push so I didn't say anything about it. Then he asked me who I was, and I told him I'm the Doctor and he said he was Castiel. I recognized the name and realized he was angel. Well, I was excited, because I'd never met an angel before. But that's not important. Anyway, I asked him if he could help me since I wasn't able to go anywhere on my own, but before he could answer me he got a phone call. He talked on the phone for a minute - I think he was talking to Dean - and when he hung up he said he had to leave. I offered to come with him and he said ok and-" The Doctor stopped talking for a moment. The smile he'd had since he'd started talking about Castiel slipped from his face now, leaving a pained look. He quickly hid it under a neutral mask. "And we came here."

Sam had been trying to keep up with the Doctor's long, fast explanation, so he immediately noticed when the Doctor paused in his speech. "Did something else happen?"

"Nothing important."

Sam didn't really believe him, but decided it wasn't a good idea to ask. "Earlier, when you were talking to my brother, Dean-"

"He's your brother? You don't seem anything alike - oh, wait," he said when he saw Sam's face, "that was rude wasn't it? Rose always used to say I was rude. Donna too. And everyone else I know, now that I think about it. I'm sorry, please go on."

"You mentioned a place called Gallifrey, you said it was your home planet."

"Yes it was," he said quietly.

"Do you mind telling me about it - you know, for educational purposes."

The Doctor nodded. "I don't mind. Not as much as I used to, anyway." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Gallifrey was where I was born. It's name meant 'They That Walk in the Shadows'. My race, the Time Lords, were from there. We were the oldest race in the universe, the inventors of Time Travel. Gallifrey had scarlet grass, trees with silver leaves, two suns, and a burnt orange sky. It was truly beautiful. But, I was never really the type to stay in one place. As soon as I graduated school, I stole - I mean, _borrowed_ , a time machine and left. I went back a couple of times, not always legally. But the last time I came back was the last time I'll ever see it. Gallifrey was at war with another great species, the Daleks. Evil things, daleks, bent on destruction. The war would have torn the universe apart if it had gone on. The only way to end it was to end Gallifrey. So I did."

Sam stared at the Doctor. His face was pained. Tears streamed down his face. Sam searched for words to say to him. Really though, what can you say to comfort someone who destroyed their entire planet and species to save the universe? Finally, he settled on, "I'm sorry."

The Doctor nodded. "So am I."

They sat in awkward silence. Finally, the Doctor said, "Your brother doesn't seem to like me."

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, Dean doesn't really like anyone at first. He'll get used to you eventually."

"Yeah, I know people like that. Granted, I don't have to live with then." He waited until Sam stopped chucking before continuing. "What do you and your brother do, anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, as far as I can tell, you're two perfectly normal human men. What are you doing chasing after gods?"

"Well, we're not exactly normal, first of all. We're hunters."

"Hunters?" The Doctor's expression was a mixture of surprise and disgust. Sam guessed that made sense. Someone who had seen so much death and destruction wouldn't like the idea of people who killed for fun.

"Not that kind of hunters. We track down demons and other monsters that kill or hurt humans and...stop them."

"You mean kill them," the Doctor said accusingly.

"Only if they kill people. We wouldn't hurt anyone innocent."

The Doctor still didn't look happy, but he seemed less upset. He wasn't one to judge such a thing anyway.

The Doctor changed the subject. "When do you think Castiel is going to come back?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. I just hope he doesn't run into any trouble."

"Do you think he might?" The Doctor asked, suddenly sounding very worried. "Maybe I should have gone with him. Then again, I'm a bit of a magnet for trouble. That might have meant more trouble for Castiel than if I stayed." It was meant as a joke, but it came out self-depreciating.

"I'm sure he's fine." Sam assured him. "He is an angel, after all. There's not a lot of things that can hurt him."

The Doctor began to say something, but stopped. "Do you hear that?"

Sam listened. "I don't hear anything."

"No, of course you can't you're human. Might as well not have ears at all."

Sam was about to retort when the sound reached his ears. "That's the impala." He slid off the car and started walking back to the house. The Doctor followed suit.

"Impala?" The Doctor looked confused. "Isn't that a type of antelope? Why would one of those be here?"

Sam shook his head. "No, it's Dean's car. He left just after Cas. He must just be getting back."

"Where did he go?"

"He didn't say. I think he just needed to get out of the house."

"Is he ok?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't really know, to be honest."

* * *

Dean parked the impala and sat back in the seat. He rubbed his face with his hand, looking exhausted.

Did Cas hear him and Sam talking earlier? He wasn't sure. He guessed it was possible. Even if he had, so what? It had just been Sam being an idiot. Unless...

No. He refused to go down that road. There was no way Cas felt that way about him. He was pretty sure Cas wasn't capable of feeling that way about _anyone_ , definitely not him. He was broken, completely and utterly. Nobody could really love him like that, especially not an angel.

Dean got out of the car. He winced when he realized that he'd slammed the door. "Sorry baby."

Dean had been halfway to the front porch when he realized two people were walking towards him from the back. He groaned when he realized it was Sam and the Doctor.

Dean wasn't sure why, but he hated the Doctor. The man was cheerfully annoying. Maybe that was why. Plus, he was an alien. Probably going to invade them.

But Cas liked him. For some reason, that only made him angry. Cas hadn't even really liked Dean at first. What made this guy so special?

Dean kept his thoughts to himself and went inside, ignoring his brother and the alien. He sighed when he heard the two come in after him anyway.

"Dean!" Sam shouted. The Doctor followed after him, looking wary of being in the same room as Dean.

"What?"

"Where the hell were you?"

"I told you already, out."

"That's not an answer."

"Yeah, well it's all you're getting." He went to grab a beer from the fridge. "Is Cas back?"

"Not yet. Why won't you tell me where you went?"

"I just went out for a drive, OK? Now lay off."

Sam sighed but didn't say anything.

Dean walked back to the living room. "Did you do any research on the gods?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I was talking to the Doctor."

"Oh, so you two are best friends now? What's next, sleepovers? Gonna braid each others hair?"

"What's with you, Dean? You're acting like a dick."

Dean didn't answer. Instead, he said, "I'm gonna call Cas. See what's taking him so long." He went upstairs and slammed the door.

Sam sighed as the Doctor stared at the stairs. He decided that Dean probably wasn't going to grow to like him. The thought made him a bit sad since he seemed to be a friend of Castiel's. The Doctor turned around and let out a sharp yelp. He was standing face to face with the angel in question.

"Hello Doctor."

"Hello Castiel," he said casually, trying to cover how startled he'd been a moment ago.

"Cas." Sam said, walking over to them. He tried not to notice that Cas was standing as close to the Doctor as he usually did to Dean. "Dean was just about to call you."

Castiel looked at him tiredly. "Can you get him? He needs to hear this."

Sam nodded. "I'll be right back."

It was only once he was gone that Castiel allowed himself to feel how exhausted he was.

"Castiel? Are you ok?" The Doctor asked, placing a hand on his arm.

Castiel stood still, contemplating the question. Finally, he said, "I don't know."

The two of them continued to stand there. The Doctor's hand was still on Castiel's arm. The two stood inches apart. The position seemed oddly...intimate.

"What the hell Cas?"


	3. Chapter 3

Dean stared at Castiel as though he'd suffered a great betrayal. Which he had, but that was a completely different situation. And he hadn't seemed nearly as upset then. Nevertheless, Castiel backed away from the Doctor as though scorched. He stared at Dean standing on the stairs, Sam right behind him. Sam looked as though he were considering going back upstairs and ignoring...whatever this is.

Dean stomped down the rest of the stairs and pushed Castiel away from the Doctor. "Cas, what the hell were you doing?!"

If you've never seen an angel angry, lucky you. Those unfortunate few who have, know that even though they don't yell or even raise their voice, they're terrifying. Their face becomes one of utter contempt, if not absolute rage. Their eyes set completely on you, unmoving and unfeeling. That was how Castiel looked at Dean now. "I was conversing with the Doctor. I would like to know why you are acting like a child whose toy has been taken from him.

Dean stared at Castiel first with shock, then with shame. He didn't say anything, just backed away from him and leaned up against a wall.

Sam stepped farther into the room, inserting himself between Castiel and Dean. The Doctor stood a couple of feet to Castiel's right, watching them gravely. He felt guilty, like he was the reason the two friends were angry at each other.

After a minute of uncomfortable silence, Sam asked, "How were the gods, Cas?"

His words seemed to have a profound effect on Castiel. He didn't seem angry anymore. Just tired. "They were gone."

"Gone?" Dean repeated, standing up straighter. "How the hell can they be gone?"

"They were taken."

The Doctor asked, "By Hypnos?"

Castiel shook his head wearily. "No.

"Then who took them?" Sam asked.

"Dysnomia."

Dean asked, "Are we supposed to know who that is?"

Castiel fixed his irritated gaze on Dean. "Dysnomia is the goddess of lawlessness, and the daughter of Eris."

"Eris," Sam repeated. "I think I've heard of her." He looked through one of the many bookshelves in Bobby's house before finally picking one. It was large and bound in black leather. A single Greek word was written on the cover in silver ink. Νύξ. Underneath this was a picture of a full moon with a crescent moon on either side.

Castiel took the book. "This is one of the few remaining Books of Nyx. Most were destroyed centuries ago."

"What does that have to do anything?" Dean asked, staring at the book in Castiel's hands.

"Nyx was one of the oldest and most revered Greek goddesses, feared even by Zeus. She was the goddess of night and darkness, mother of anything mysterious or unpleasant. Eris is one of her more well known children, the goddess of chaos and strife." Castiel opened the book to a page with an intricate portrait against a dark purple background. It was of a thin, marble white woman with ink black hair flowing down her waist and acid green eyes and a black dress that wrapped tightly around her body. Her face was twisted into an evil smile. Her arms were raised to just above her head. In one hand was a thin black dagger. In the second one was a hissing black snake. Green fire burned around her feet and licked at her legs. Over her head was Ἔρις in silver ink.

Castiel continued speaking. "She's most well known for her part in the Trojan war."

The Doctor grabbed the book from him and stared at the picture.

"What did she do?" Sam asked.

"For all intents and purposes, she started it." He looked at the confused faces and sighed. "All the Greek gods and goddesses were invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, save one - Eris. As revenge, Eris threw the golden apple of discord to the guests of the wedding feast. The apple had "for the fairest" written on it and Hera and Athena and Aphrodite all claimed it. Paris, the prince of Troy, was chosen to decide who would get the apple. He eventually chose Aphrodite. Then-"

"Eris started the Trojan War, we get it, you can stop talking!" Dean shouted.

Castiel stared at him angrily. Before he could say anything though, the Doctor said, looking up angrily from his book, "You don't have to yell."

Dean looked ready to start a fight, so Sam intervened. "Cas, how do you know it was Dysnomia that took the other gods?"

Castiel wrenched his focus from Dean and turned it to Sam. "Gods always leave behind a type of energy behind. It works like a signature, and can be used to tell different ones apart. I recognized Dysnomia's at the hospital. I was able to trace it back to an art gallery in New York, but nothing beyond that."

"What was the name of the gallery?" The Doctor asked.

"It was 'Temple of Art'."

Sam asked, "You're sure it was 'Temple' and not something else?"

"I'm certain."

Sam left the living room and went into the kitchen. A second later, he was back holding his laptop. Sam sat down on the couch and typed something into a search engine. "Get this," he said, "the 'Temple of Art' is a brand-new building that just finished construction a month ago and is holding a gala to celebrate its grand opening two days from now."

"Do you think Dysnomia will be there?" Dean asked, moving to look over his shoulder.

Sam shrugged. "Possibly. The website says it's owned by Adrienne Nox."

The Doctor stood thinking. He still held the book, and was on a page with a picture of a purple woman. "Adrienne means 'dark one', and Nox is another name for Nyx."

"Do you think it's her?" Sam asked.

The Doctor shrugged. "Might be her, might be one of her siblings, or Eris, might be a big coincidence."

Dream said, "Somehow, I don't think that's it."

"Neither do I," Castiel said, agreeing with Dean.

"Ok, then what do we do?" Sam asked.

"I have an idea," the Doctor said.

* * *

"I can not believe we're doing this," Dean grumbled, fixing his bowtie.

"I can't believe you agreed to it," Sam said, leaning against the console, then moving away when it burned him.

Castiel had flown himself, Sam, Dean, and the Doctor back to the TARDIS, which was still in Greece. It had taken an hour to get Sam to get dressed instead of asking the Doctor various unnecessary questions. Dean looked amazed for ten seconds, then got annoyed with the Doctor's smile.

Castiel stood watching the hallway, looking anxious as he waited for the Doctor. "What's taking him so long?"

Dean scoffed. "What, tired of waiting for your boyfriend?"

Castiel scowled at him before looking away completely. Another minute passed before he said, "I'm going to go look for him."

Dean protested, but he was already walking away down the hall.

In contrast to the console room, the hallway was a sterile white, and lit up with bright white overhead lights. Metal octagon shaped doors lined the walls, each with a circular window that let you see into the room. There was a silver metal plaque next to each door, specifying what that room was. Some were perfectly normal bedrooms, others were just weird. Castiel kept walking until he found the wardrobe room.

The room was utterly huge. It had 150 different levels and thousands of racks filled with clothes from every time period on Earth and many from other planets and galaxies. Castiel scanned the room until his eyes came upon the Doctor on the third level. Castiel flew to join him.

The Doctor didn't seem at all surprised to see Castiel suddenly standing behind him. He just smiled and said, "Hello!"

The Doctor took in Castiel's appearance. He had forgone his usual 'holy tax accountant' suit and trench coat and was instead wearing a formal tux with a midnight blue vest. His bowtie was somewhat skewed, having been done by Sam. The Doctor smiled widely at him. "You look lovely!"

Castiel blushed. "Thank you. You look nice as well."

The Doctor frowned at his black tux. "I guess, but it's probably a bad idea to wear this."

Castiel frowned. "Why?"

"Oh, something bad always happens when I do. Although, that might just be me." The Doctor smiled at him again before remembering something. "Oh, I almost forgot...where did I put it…" he muttered to himself as he searched his pockets. "Aha, here it is!" He pulled out a medium-sized dark stone on a silver chain. The stone's colors changed from dark blue to black and back again. The stone was flecked with silver, and sparkled like stars. He handed it to Castiel, who took it carefully. "I got this a couple of planets back and I wasn't really doing anything with it, so I thought I'd give it to you. It's called a Sympan stone. It's supposed to protect you against negative energy and stuff like that."

Castiel held the stone in his hand as though it were precious. "Thank you Doctor." He put the necklace down over his head so that the stone lay on his chest. He tucked it into his shirt.

Castiel was checking to make sure the stone couldn't be seen through his shirt, but the Doctor was staring at him. His dark brown hair was tousled, his lips were chapped, and his ocean blue eyes sparkled and shone.

Without thinking about it, the Doctor moved forward. He took Castiel's face in his hands and pulled him closer. Their lips met softly. Castiel was unresponsive at first, but after a moment he moved his mouth against the Doctor's. Castiel's arms wrapped around his neck, connecting the two of them.

They stood like that for a minute, softly kissing, before they heard a high-pitched yelp. Castiel broke away and whipped his head around. Sam was standing a few feet away, staring at them with wide eyes.

Sam spluttered a bit before saying, "Uhh, Dean was wondering what's taking so long."

The thought of Dean made Castiel feel a wave of guilt. It was easy for him to imagine Dean standing in front of him instead of Sam, angry and hurt. He probably wouldn't be very hurt, Castiel thought bitterly. He doesn't care. Thinking of Dean was upsetting him, so he stopped and said, "We were just leaving." He hurried past Sam and down the stairs, forgetting for a moment that he can fly.

Dean looked up at Castiel as he reentered the Console room. "Hey Cas." He'd been in a bad mood pretty much since meeting the Doctor, so it seemed strange that he wasn't upset anymore.

"Hello Dean," Castiel replied, trying not to let his voice break.

"Listen man, I'm sorry for being such a dick earlier. I was just in a bad mood, you know?"

Castiel nodded. "I understand Dean."

"So we're cool?"

"Of course we are Dean."

Dean started to smile at him, but then looked over his shoulder and frowned. "What's wrong, Sammy? You look like you've seen a ghost." He smiled at his own joke. No one else did.

"I'm fine," Sam told him as he walked into the console room with the Doctor trailing silently after him. Sam was trying hard not to look at Castiel.

"So!" The Doctor said, clapping his hands together. "Everybody ready to go?"

Dean nodded stiffly and Sam muttered a 'yes'. Castiel said, "We're ready."

"Wonderful, allons-y!"

* * *

"Do you have an invitation?"

The Doctor stood at the front of their small group. The woman asking them for their (non-existent) invitations looked incredibly bored.

Dean looked at the Doctor irritably. The alien was in such a good mood and he couldn't tell why. And what the hell were they going to do about the invitations?

The Doctor smiled cheerfully and pulled an old looking wallet out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Right here. I'm the Doctor, and these," he waved his hands at the others to indicate them, "are my friends."

The woman scanned the paper before moving to the side and saying, "Please go in and enjoy yourselves."

They walked into the entry hall. It had sterile white walls turned purple by the lights. The only decorations were a few tall floor vases filled with fake purple and white plants. They walked through to the main room, which was filled with paintings and statues. A large white stage sprouted from the wall at the opposite end of the room. People filtered through, wearing tuxes and evening gowns, drinking champagne and laughing gayly. It made Dean's skin crawl.

In the center of the room was a single life sized statue of two people. It was a man and a woman, twisted around each in a strange combination of dancing and fighting. The woman had a short sword in one hand lowered to her waist, the other hand wrapped fiercely around her partner's neck. The man had a dagger in his right hand, which was raised above him ready to strike her in the face, his other hand wrapped tightly around her waist. Their faces were so close together it was easy to imagine them moving closer to kiss. While the rest of the statue was intricate and elaborate, their faces were only carved enough to make them appear human from a distance. The woman was carved from black marble with streaks of silver, green, and purple. The man was made of white stone with streaks of red and orange. Their bodies were barely covered by Grecian style robes. The base on which they stood was grey with streaks of black and white.

The Doctor stared intently at the statue. He leaned over to Castiel and asked, "Is it just me, or is that statue familiar?"

Castiel didn't answer. He was looking around the room, searching for something and not finding it. "There is a lot of godly energy here, but I don't see any gods." He turned to Dean and Sam. "Spread out, stay near the walls, and look for anyone with black hair and green eyes or who seems to be giving off any sort of energy." Without waiting for an answer, Castiel set off for the other end of the room.

The four spread out and didn't see each other again for half an hour. Dean was bored and had given up looking for gods and was instead eating off of a plate of bacon wrapped sausages. He decided to look for Cas. He found him standing near a wall alone, staring at the center statue. "Hey Cas."

Castiel didn't turn to look at Dean, instead keeping his eyes on the statue, particularly the woman's face. "Hello Dean."

Dean looked at the statue, trying to tell why Castiel was staring at it so intently. He found nothing unusual, and said awkwardly, "You look nice."

Castiel did turn to him this time. "Thank you Dean." He waited a moment before adding, "You look very handsome as well."

"Thanks Cas." Castiel fidgeted under his gaze. "Cas, is something wrong? You've been acting weird every since we got here."

Castiel blushed. "Actually, something did happen."

"What?"

Castiel sighed. "When I went to check on the Doctor earlier-"

Dean rolled his eyes, "Him again."

Castiel scowled at him and continued, "I went to find the Doctor and we…"

Dean looked at him. "You what?" His voice was cold, as though he were preparing for a large blow.

"We kissed."

Castiel stared at Dean, waiting for a reaction. Finally, he said, "Ok."

Castiel blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. "Ok?"

"Yeah, ok. If you want to kiss an alien that's probably hiding tentacles in his pants, then you I can't stop you." Dean looked down at his plate as though he were about to puke. "I'm gonna go throw this crap away."

Castiel asked in a confused voice, "I thought you liked it?"

Dean started to walk away. "I lost my appetite." He left.

Castiel stood against the wall, feeling hurt, confused, angry, and extremely guilty. What had he done? He may have ruined his friendship with Dean for someone he'd known for three days. And why was Dean so angry anyways? He said himself he didn't want Castiel, could never want him. He had no right to act like this.

Castiel sighed and scanned the room again. There were gods here, he could feel it, he just didn't know where or how they were hiding. There was something strange about the statue, but he didn't know what. If he were human, he'd have a headache.

On the left side of the room was Sam, staring at a painting. He was rubbing his forehead, and looked like he was in pain. Castiel quickly walked over to him. "Sam? Are you alright?"

Sam looked at him. "Yeah. I'm fine." His tone was unconvincing.

"Is it the wall?" Castiel asked. Sam hesitated a moment before nodding. "You need to stop pushing it. Too much, and it will fall apart completely." He didn't mean to sound harsh, but he'd told Sam this before. He'd pulled Sam and his soul out of Hell and built a wall in his head, and he wouldn't have that effort wasted because Sam couldn't listen to basic instructions.

"I know, I know," Sam said, his hand covering his eyes. "Where's Dean?" he asked.

Castiel averted his eyes from Sam. "I don't know. He's avoiding me."

Sam frowned. "Why?"

"I told him that the Doctor and I kissed."

Sam winced. "Yeah, that must've sucked."

Castiel nodded. "In a manner of speaking, yes."

Sam asked awkwardly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Sam sighed. "Good." He looked at the painting again. "Do you know what I noticed?"

"What?"

"All the paintings and statues are of people."

Castiel frowned before looking around the room. He soon realized that Sam was right. There was not a single piece of artwork that didn't somehow involve people. And a lot of the people had black hair and green eyes.

Castiel grabbed Sam's arm. "Find Dean and the Doctor. Tell them to leave immediately."

Sam frowned. "What? Why?"

"Because, this is a trap."

He didn't say anything else, instead walking away and searching the crowd for sight of the others. "Dean!" he shouted, ignoring the annoyed looks he got from people. As soon as he was near Dean, he grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the door.

"What the hell man?" Dean asked him, tugging his arm away.

"Dean, we have to leave."

"Why?"

"It's a trap, this is all a trap-"

Castiel was cut off by the sound of someone testing a microphone. "Hello!" They turned to face the stage. Castiel felt the blood drain from his face. The woman on the stage was Dysnomia. She was smiling happily, like a child about to receive a grand present. "I'd like to welcome you all to the Temple of Art!" The crowd applauded her. "But before we get into that, I would like to introduce two very special people." She gestured towards the statue in the middle of the room. "The goddess Eris, and her consort, the Master!"

Everyone stared at the statue in confusion. Castiel saw the Doctor standing with Sam. His eyes were wide with shock and fear. The Doctor whispered quietly, "No…"

Before their eyes, the statue changed. No longer made of stone, there were two very real people standing in front of them. The smirking woman quickly swirled around and used her sword to decapitate the man nearest her. Blood sprayed onto her black and silver dress. The man turned from her and whirled his dagger through the air until it sunk into a woman's throat. She fell to the floor, gurgling blood.

For a moment, no one moved. Then everyone was screaming, running towards the doors. But it was no use. More statues were transforming. People were literally leaping out of paintings, armed with swords, spears, and knives. Blood decorated the white floor and walls.

They tried to fight, but there was only four of them against over a dozen gods and goddesses known for destruction. Eventually, they were all captured and brought before Eris and the Master. Their captors forced them to kneel with their hands tied behind their backs. Everyone else was dead.

Eris and the Master stood on the base that had been a part of their statue. Eris held her bloody sword in her hand, hanging loosely by her side. The Master stood beside her, golden eyes glowing. As soon as he saw the Doctor, he sat down in front of him with his legs crossed. "Hello Doctor," he said happily.

"Master," the Doctor breathed out. "How"

The Master placed one finger over the Doctor's mouth and said, "Shhh."

Eris smiled down at the five of them. Then she looked up again at the others. "Brothers, sisters, children. Each of you have done well this night, and each of you shall be rewarded. Of course, those who decided not to join us, shall be punished greatly." She looked almost sad when she said this. It didn't last. "None of you did so well, however, as my dearest of children, Dysnomia." She smiled at her daughter, who stepped forward. It was creepy how alike they looked. The only real differences were that Eris's features were sharper, and Dysnomia looked younger.

Eris cradled her daughter's face with her hands and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She continued to look at her Dysnomia even as she addressed the rest of the room. "Dysnomia, the dearest of my children, planned and organized a marvelous game for us and captured the two beings I desired to possess most greatly. For this, she shall be honored above all others in the new world order."

Eris removed her hands from Dysnomia's face and walked in front of Castiel. "Angel of Thursday, Shield of God. Hmmm." She traced Castiel's face with one sharp-nailed finger. "I've never taken the powers of an angel. I wonder how it shall feel."

She moved onto the Doctor, who was still staring at the Master sitting in front of him. "And of course, the alien." The Master made a noise of displeasure at her words. She smiled at him. "No offense." She returned her hungry gaze to the Doctor. "Do whatever you please with him." The Master allowed a cruel grin to grow on his face.

Finally, she stood in front of Dean and Sam. "And the Winchester brothers. I am pleased that Hypnos didn't kill you. Now, I shall have the pleasure of doing so myself. Really, the only problem is that I'm not sure which of you I should kill first. Of course, whoever is second shall have to watch the first die. Now, for whom would that be more painful…" She studied their expressions carefully before deciding. "Yes, I think I shall kill the long haired one first. He is the younger of the two, I believe?" One of her children nodded.

Eris smiled brightly. She raised her sword above her head. The four of them tried to fight, but the gods were too strong. They couldn't move.

The silver sword shone in the purple light. Eris brought it down hard. Sam flinched, trying to fight, but it kept coming -

The sword fell to the ground. Eris screamed and held her hand. An arrow was stuck in the palm, golden blood leaking from the wound. She quickly pulled the arrow from her hand, wincing as she did so.

Eris looked up at the doorway. A young woman with red velvet colored hair stood there with a bow raised and another arrow drawn. More people filtered into the room, armed with bow and arrows, swords, spears, and even a couple of guns. The red haired woman said, "Attack at will."

The room descended into chaos once more. Eris and her family fought the newcomers, but they were evenly matched. The gods that had been guarding them were to busy fighting to even try. Soon, another one of the fighters approached the gang and cut the rope holding their hands together. He directed them back to the red-haired woman. When she saw them. She shouted our, "Retreat!"

And they were gone.


	4. Chapter 4

The four of them stood with the red-haired woman in front of them. Over a dozen other strangely dressed people surrounded them in a horseshoe formation. The warriors were dressed in everything from Greek and Aztec armor to military fatigues. Each of them had a symbol of a set of scales and a sword in front of it branded onto their left forearms. As soon as they had been transported, they kneeled down reverently. Then they pulled Dean and the Doctor down when they didn't get the hint.

The room in which they stood had wine red walls and a black marble floor with tiny flecks of sparkling silver. The walls had strange images painted on them in metallic gold paint. Scenes of battle, death, feasts, and dances. The ceiling was black, but it had the Greek constellations painted on it in silver. At the front of the room was a raised dais that a glass throne rested on. It reflected the red, black, and gold perfectly.

Sitting on the throne was a woman that looked scarily like Eris. She had the same pale skin and wavy black hair. But her features, though still sharper than a normal person's, were far less cruel than those of Eris, and her calm eyes were red, not green. (Although, that wasn't exactly reassuring.) Her silk dress was sleeveless and blood red, with black embroidery, and a gold metal belt hung around her hips. A black dagger was tucked into it. She was smiling kindly.

The woman said, "You did well Bellatorum." Her voice was like Eris's, except softer and less insane. She nodded towards the red haired woman, who smiled in return. "Were you able to recover any others?"

Bellatorum's smile dropped. "No, my lady. By the time we got there, Eris and hers had already massacred all but these four. They had planned to take the angel and Time Lord, and kill the other two. We just stopped Eris from taking the life of the long haired one." Bellatorum turned to Sam. "What is your name?"

"Sam. I'm Sam."

Bellatorum turned back to the woman. "This is Sam."

The woman smiled and stood up. "Hello Sam. Dean. Castiel." She paused for a moment before adding carefully, "Doctor. I'm sure all of you are wondering who I am."

"I know who you are," Castiel told her.

"I'm sure three of you are wondering who I am."

"That is more accurate."

She smiled. "Yes it is. I am Nemesis, daughter of Nyx and Erebus, mother of none, goddess of balance, justice, and revenge -"

"Sister of Eris." Castiel finished.

Nemesis frowned. "Yes," she admitted, "that too."

Castiel watched her warily. He knew that Nemesis was more likely to punish someone for stealing powers than actually steal them. But she was also Eris's sister, and the two were known to be close. The two may be working together. But if they were, then what was her motivation for rescuing them? Was it even a rescue at all?

Nemesis seemed untroubled by Castiel watching her and continued speaking. "These," she waved her hands to indicate the people around them, "are my faithful human warriors. They assist me in my work."

"Your work?" Dean asked, looking angry.

"Yes, my work. It is my job to keep balance on Earth-"

Dean snorted. "Well you're doing a bang up job."

As soon as he had finished speaking, Bellatorum grabbed him by the neck and shoved his face into the floor, her dagger at the back of his throat. "How dare you speak to the goddess in such a disrespectful manner!"

Castiel, Sam and the Doctor stood up and tried to run towards her, but they were stopped by several others, who wasted no time in giving them the same treatment as Dean. Despite being human, they were easily as strong as Castiel, a result of Nemesis's powers. The four of them were held with their faces in the floor. The warriors towered above them, waiting for orders.

Nemesis looked at Dean evenly. "Release them."

Bellatorum frowned, "But miss, he was disrespectful to you-"

Nemesis waves her hand in dismissal. "He's American, he doesn't know any better." Though her reply was humorous, her eyes were angry.

A blond man in army gear who was holding down Sam spoke up, "But the other three attempted to attack Bella, ma'am."

"They were attempting to protect their friend and brother. I shall not punish them for it." Her gaze shifted from the blond man to the four of them. "This time. Release them."

Slowly, the warriors let go of them and they stood up quickly. Nemesis nodded. "In answer to your statement Dean Winchester, there are many dark and dangerous forces in this world. I cannot fight them all." She looked at her warriors. "Perhaps it is best if we discuss this without the rest of you. We would not want another such incident."

The mini-army looked at her in surprise, but left without protest. They went through a door that was designed to blend in perfectly with the wall. Bellatorum looked back at her goddess once before joining the others.

"Now, let us move on to more important matters. Such as my sister and her consort."

Castiel frowned. "I did not recognize the man. He had godly energy and powers, but he feels different somehow."

"That is because he was not always a god. But you knew that already, did you not Doctor?" Her eyes fell on him suspiciously.

The Doctor's face was distant, as though he were not there completely. He nodded. "I know him."

"Well who is he?" Dean demanded, looking at him angrily.

"He's the Master."

"Who?"

"The Master, I just said that."

Sam asked him, "What is he?"

"He's a Time Lord. Well, was a Time Lord, anyway."

"He is one of your kind?" Nemesis asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes."

"Have you met him before?" Castiel asked, moving closer to the Doctor as though to offer comfort.

The Doctor nodded. "The last time I saw him, he was being pulled into another dimension. Long story."

"Wait a minute," Dean said, "I thought you said you were the last of your kind?"

"Again, long story."

"What I don't get," Sam began when he saw that Dean was about to keep interrogating the Doctor, "is how he's here? The Doctor said he was being pulled into a different dimension, not a different universe. How'd he get here?"

Nemesis looked up at the constellations on the ceiling as she spoke. "My sister can sense extreme sources of chaos, even from other universes. It is possible that she sensed whatever was happening in the Doctor's world, and pulled part of it towards her, thus bringing the Master here."

Sam nodded. "Ok, but that still doesn't explain how he's a god now."

Nemesis answered, "It may be that my sister stole the powers of another god and was somehow able to give them to the Master."

"Would that work?" Castiel asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Nemesis sighed. "I do not truly know. Most humans could never contain the powers of even a minor god. It would destroy their bodies and drive them insane, but..."

"But the Master is not human. He's a Time Lord." Castiel finished her statement for her.

"What does Eris even want with him anyway?" Dean asked, looking at Nemesis. "She doesn't really need him to go around killing gods. What's the point."

Nemesis shrugged elegantly. "Perhaps she...enjoys him."

It took the rest of them a moment to understand what she meant. Then Dean, Sam, and the Doctor all made 'eew' faces. Castiel still didn't get it.

Nemesis waved her hand. "It matters not. What matters now is how I shall stop her."

"Well, do you think we should do?" Castiel asked her.

Nemesis looked at him. "Perhaps my meaning was not clear, dear angel. I shall do whatever is necessary to stop my sister. You four shall remain in this temple until then."

They immediately began protesting, none more so than Dean. "No way. That bitch tried to kill my brother-"

Nemesis faced him with an icy look that made them all think of Eris. "That bitch, as you called her, is my sister. Regardless of what she has done, you shall not speak of her in such a way. And I am perfectly capable of handling her."

Dean started to say something else, but Sam stopped him. "Ok, but what if she comes here? Does she know where we are?"

"She knows of this place, but she will not come here."

"How do you know that she won't?"

"It is against the ancient laws to attack the temple of another god. My sister in insane, not foolish."

"What if that's not enough? She could be on her way here right now."

Nemesis shook her head. "She will not." She turned from them without further explanation. "Daniel!" She shouted, her voice reverberating through the temple.

The blond warrior walked in through the disguised wall. "Yes ma'am?"

"Escort these four to their rooms. I suspect they need rest, and I know I need to think."

* * *

Castiel paced the room that Daniel had taken him to. As an angel, he didn't need sleep, but he knew it would be a bad idea to disturb Nemesis, and Dean and Sam almost fell asleep on their way to the rooms. He was tempted to leave altogether, but Nemesis would see that as disrespect, and they needed her help. So he stayed.

Castiel considered going to Dean's room to watch over him. He knew that the man thought it was creepy, but Castiel enjoyed making sure he was safe. Although, considering how Dean had reacted to his confession earlier, he feared that he would be especially unwelcome tonight.

Castiel was contemplating what he should do now, when someone knocked at his door. "Who is it," he called.

"It's the Doctor."

Castiel stood up and went to crack open the door. "Doctor?" He saw the brown haired man standing with his hands in his pockets.

"Hello!"

Castiel widened the door. "What is it you need?"

"Well, nothing really, it's just that I don't really sleep a lot and I knew you don't either, so I figured that maybe we could not-sleep together." He paused his speech for a moment. "I feel like that last part came out weird, was that weird?"

"I don't think so."

The Doctor shrugged and walked into the bedroom, happily plopping down on the bed. Castiel stood looking at him awkwardly. The Doctor scooted over to the side and patted the space next to him. "C'mon, I'm not gonna bite you."

Reluctantly, Castiel lay down on the bed next to the Doctor. They were silent for a minute before Castiel said, "Earlier, you said that you know the Master. How?"

The Doctor stiffened. He wasn't smiling anymore. He just looked sad. Grief and age had been hidden under a cheerful smile for who-knows-how-long, suddenly come to light.

"I'm sorry," Castiel said, "I should not have asked you that-"

"No, it's ok. I just don't usually talk about it." He paused for a moment before continuing, "He used to be my friend, when we were kids. In fact, he was my _best_ friend, for a long time." The Doctor seemed to be collecting his thoughts, not sure what to say exactly. "He used to be normal, but when we were kids... The Time Lords had a ceremony that when you were eight you would look into the Time Vortex, which was where time and space met. Some would be inspired, others, like me, would run, and others would go insane." The Doctor stopped then, staring at the wall, lost in his own mind.

"And the Master, he was one of these people?" Castiel asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah, he was. I remember, for weeks afterwords, he wouldn't let anyone except me near him. Any little noise hurt him."

"Why?"

"He said that he heard drums, in his head, constantly. He still hears them, I think."

"Why did he let you near him and no one else?"

"He said I was comforting. He got better, after a while, but he would till have... _attacks_ , I suppose you could call them, where the drums would get louder and he'd hide away from everyone." The Doctor could remember him, curled up in a ball with his hands pressed to his ears as though he were trying to block out the noise, tears in his blue eyes, eyes that pleaded for help that no one could give him.

"That must have been horrible, for him and you."

"Yes. Yes it was." He smiled, but it was self-depreciating. "You know, something happened, a few years ago, where he did a lot of really horrible things to a lot of innocent people, myself included. I stopped him, but the people around me, my friends... they wanted to kill him. They wanted _me_ to kill him. I couldn't do it. I know it's crazy, but even after everything else, I looked at him and I saw my friend. And he needed me. I wanted to take him with me, away from Earth, but someone shot him. He could have survived, but he didn't want to, because he knew it would hurt me more if he died." His voice started to tremble, and tears leaked from his eyes. "I had to _burn_ his body, Castiel... my best friend, the only other Time Lord, and I had to _destroy_ him..." His voice broke. Hot tears washed down his face as silent sobs overtook his body.

For a moment, Castiel did nothing. Then he turned on his side and wrapped his arms around the Doctor at an attempt in a comforting hug. The Doctor didn't move for a moment. Then he returned the hug, tightening his arms around Castiel so hard a human would have been hurt. He sobbed into Castiel's shirt, his hands gripping his hair.

"And now," the Doctor said, gaining control of himself, "he's back, and I don't know what to do. What if he dies again, Castiel? I don't know if I could live through that again."

Castiel cradled him comfortingly. "Don't worry, it'll be ok." Human words that he knew meant nothing, but might bring comfort. He kissed the Doctor's forehead, a promise he wasn't sure he could keep.

* * *

AN: Wow, that turned out _way_ more emotional than I thought it would. Damn. I am good. Please favorite, follow, comment, or not if you don't want to. That's cool too.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean woke up to the sound of screaming.

Really, this wasn't altogether unusual for him. He was a hunter. He encountered people screaming all the time. Night, day, in his sleep, you name it. What was really strange was the fact that he was in a temple with a goddess, an angel, an alien, another hunter, and dozens of people with god-like strength and speed that were very well armed. You'd think he wouldn't have to put up with it here.

As it is, before he even registered what was happening, he was awake and out of the bed. He could hear at least six people screaming and shouting, and the distinct sounds of fight. He'd be out there already, but he had stupidly taken his shoes off before going to sleep. Normally he wouldn't have even thought of doing that, but Nemesis had sworn they were safe. Really, it was his fault for listening.

He didn't have any weapons. Daniel had disarmed him with the threat of not allowing him to see Sam or Cas if he didn't hand them over (and the Doctor, but he didn't really care about that).

So, basically, he was running through the maze like temple heading towards what sounds like a really awful fight, completely unarmed. Fuck.

That wasn't even the worst part. While he was in the hallway, he saw the Doctor running out of Cas's room. Goddamn it.

He pretended not to notice the Doctor as the three off them (soon joined by Sam) ran towards the throne room where they'd been earlier.

The room was covered in blood, mostly the crimson of a human's, but some of it was the gold ichor of Eris's gods. Eris herself appeared to be uninjured as she gaily fought her sister's warriors, killing some and injuring all who stepped in front of her. Each of them picked up some sort of weapon that had been left on the ground after its yielder had fallen and not gotten up.

Dean joined in the fight without hesitation. His feelings about Cas and the Doctor were weird and strange. But this was something he could do with his eyes closed.

Every swing of the sword was instinctual, every injured or shocked cry of an enemy like music. They may have been gods, but he was Dean Winchester. He didn't take shit from anyone.

A tall pale man with the same green eyes and black hair as his siblings fought Sam and Cas. He was laughing as he whirled around the two of them, like it was a game. Sam almost got him, but as he lifted his blade, the Master snuck behind him and placed two fingers on each of his temples. At first, Sam looked simply stunned. Then his eyes briefly flashed red, and he started screaming and writhing in agony. He fell to the ground, the Master standing over him triumphantly. Sam tried to say something, but couldn't get the words out. Instead, his mouth shaped a single name: Lucifer. The Master looked mildly surprised. Dean knew, whether the Master did or not, that the wall was broken.

Dean tried to get to the master, but Eris's son blocked him. Dean decided that he would do. His smile was vicious as he fought with Dean, anticipating and blocking every move Dean attempted, making harsh blows whenever possible. He was an amazing fighter, but he underestimated Dean's protective nature. Once you hurt someone he loved, you were done.

As fate would have it, the mistake was that ended their fight was the god's. He focused too entirely on Dean and didn't see the body lying cold on the ground just behind him. He stepped back to gain leverage for what would certainly have been a killing blow, and instead fell to the ground.

Dean wasted no time. He raised the sword above his head, and swiftly plunged it into the god's heart, gold blood painting the blade. For a single moment, his body changed. His skin turned black and green and red, his eyes alight with fire. Arms grew from his sides and backs, each holding some sort of weapon that could have severed a spirit in half, but was too important to take notice of people. Then, as suddenly as he had changed before, he returned to the handsome man who looked like Eris.

The room was filled with a loud screeching sound. The humans slammed their hands over their ears in pain, but the god's searched the room for a source. They found it in Eris, standing in the middle of the room, her face contorted in deep pain. "Makhai!" she shouted. Black tears streamed down her face to the floor, where their corrosive nature caused a hole to appear.

Eris's shock did not last. Instead of pain, rage was the dominant emotion in every part of her body. She threw her hands out to the sides, pushing humans and gods alike to the wall, all except Dean. She held her hand in front of her, curling it as though around a neck.

Though Dean was halfway across the room from the grief-filled goddess, he felt the affects of her power. He dropped his golden sword and reached his hands up to his throat in an attempt to pull away a hand that wasn't there. His body was lifted half a foot from the ground as his lips began to turn blue.

"STOP!" Another voice shouted. Eris payed no attention to it until she crumpled to the ground, her spell undone. The people that she had moved to the walls stayed there, but Dean fell back to the floor, gasping loudly for breath.

Eris didn't stay on the ground long. She rose up, snarling at Nemesis, who had stopped her from killing the green-eyed hunter. "Stop, sister? This filth killed the most precious of my sons. How can you possibly expect me to spare the little cockroach?"

Nemesis met her sister's angry eyes without flinching. "You had no right to come here. You disobeyed ancient laws, and your son payed the price for it."

"You attacked us yesterday when you had no right!"

"You were massacring innocents! I had every right to intervene! And why do you act so angry? You all escaped unharmed. Perhaps you screech because your plan didn't work, or because your precious pride was wounded-"

"Enough!" Eris shouted suddenly, flinging a ball of black fire towards her sister, who moved out of the way just in time. Eris continued to attack her, but Nemesis either moved or deflected the fires with her sword. Finally, Eris took out her own sword and attacked more directly. The two weapons met, gold against silver. The two were evenly matched. They had an equal amount of battle experience. To her advantage, Nemesis was calm and focused. But Eris was insane and perfectly willing to play dirty.

Dean saw the gleaming silver before anyone else did. He vaguely remembered looking at the book of Nyx. Eris had been holding a dagger in the picture, one that was specifically used for stabbing people in the back. Πόνος was carved into the blade. Dean wanted to shout, but the words caught in his throat.

Eris grabbed her sister by the shoulder and twisted her around. Nemesis hadn't expected it, and couldn't fight until it was too late. Eris plunged the blade deep into her sister's back, golden blood coating it. Nemesis gasped and tried to say something. Eris said soothingly, "Shh, little sister. It's time you rest." Eris slid her bloody dagger out of her sister's back. Nemesis started to fall to the ground, but Eris held her and lowered her down gently. Her hand rested an inch above her sister's chest, making strange motions. Red and black tendrils of energy started to rise up out of Nemesis curling into a ball in Eris's hand. Eris closed her hand into a fist around the energy, absorbing it into her own body. Her eyes never left Nemesis.

Finally, she stood. She looked tired, and her children were released from her hold and fell from the wall. "We leave," she ordered sharply.

The warriors started to finally overcome her power, peeling themselves from the wall, but as soon as that had, they fell to the ground, unconscious. Castiel, Dean, and the Doctor were the only one still moving. They ran for them as Eris began the spell to transport them away. The only one who got close to her was Castiel, but the Master saw him and grabbed him, taking the angel with them.

Just before they left, Castiel grabbed Dean's hand. For a moment, Dean didn't see the room or feel Castiel's hand. He only saw a bright rune, lines twisting painfully and contained in a circle to form a single angelic image. He didn't know why, but the symbol made him feel...warm. Dean heard something spoken, a single name: Amoriel. Then Castiel, and the gods, were gone.

* * *

After the battle, Dean stared at the spot where Castiel had stood only a moment before. It didn't seem quite real to him, as though Castiel would pop up any second, confusion in his ocean blue eyes. When he didn't, Dean collapsed to his knees. "Cas…"

It might have been hours or minutes, but eventually he became aware that someone was shaking him. "Dean! Dean, Sam needs help!" That snapped him out of it. He stared at the Doctor, who was staring at him worriedly. There were dark circles under his eyes and his skin was pulled tightly across his bones.

Over the past week, Dean had almost come to hate the man. Now he felt a strange sort of bond with him. They had both lost Castiel tonight. And even though they didn't say it, he knew that they would both do whatever necessary to get him back.

"Dean, c'mon, Sam needs you." The Doctor pulled him up from the ground over to where Sam lay. He had stopped screaming and was instead twitching lightly. Dean wasn't sure which was worse. He knew one thing though: his brother needed him. This, he could deal with.

Dean sat down next to him, but soon realized there was nothing he could do. Sam grabbed his hand and wouldn't let him go. That was somewhat comforting, for both of them.

The Doctor seemed to know something. He leaned over Sam's face and placed his fingers on the temples. After what he'd just seen the Master do, Dean was tempted to force him away, but he kept still. Whatever lay between them personally, the Doctor was an ally.

The Doctor closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Sam's. After a few minutes, the twitching stopped and Sam's eyes closed. The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is he ok?" Dean asked."

The Doctor shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I don't even really know what the Master did. I looked into Sam's mind and there was a sort of...wall, I think? It was in ruins though. And whatever it was holding back is out in Sam's mind. I'll keep him sleeping for as long as I can, but I'm don't know how to heal this. I'm sorry Dean."

Dean sat still, his hand wrapped around Sam's wrist, unwilling to let go. A beat passed before he said, "I'm gonna kill that blond son of a bitch."

* * *

"Wake up!" An annoyed voice bellowed. A moment later, a hand crashed against metal. The powerful combination startled Castiel awake. His sight was blurry, and it took him a moment to realize where he was.

Olympus.

It wasn't how he remembered it from centuries ago. The pure white stone had been replaced with the same type in black. He could tell they were in the old throne room only by the plain silver cages that marked where the thrones used to be. Only four of them held any people. The remaining eight held only bones, some newer than others. Some still had blood on them.

Upon further inspection, Castiel realized that he was in a cage himself. But he was gold instead of silver, and had gems imbedded into it. The same words were inscribed on every bar, in the bottom and tops, repeated in English, Greek, and Enochian: The bird in the gilded cage dies. The bars and bottom were coated in some sort of liquid. Holy oil, he realized. One spark, and he'd go up in flames.

He raised his eyes to the person shouting. The Master stood grinning at him. The two were alone.

"Morning dove! Boy, you're in a right state, aren't you? You have got oil, all over you!" He trailed his fingers over Castiel's face. From them, a few tiny golden sparks burned. Castiel flinched. The Master grinned. "Well c'mon, don't be shy bird." Castiel didn't say anything. The Master didn't seemed troubled by the lack of response. "You know, last night, at the party, I was watching the Doctor, but he wasn't watching me. Well, he was watching me less than usual. But his attention was more or less on you. That, of course, made me curious. I mean, I know you're an angel, but really, you don't seem that impressive. We defeated you easy enough. But, he's always had horrible taste. Well, except for me. Exception to every rule and all that." Castiel said nothing. The Master frowned and grabbed Castiel by the chin, pulling his face towards him. "Are you even paying attention? Because I'm giving you all my attention, and I don't want to do that if you're not going to return the favor." Castiel didn't move or speak. Then, he headbutted the Master as hard as he could.

The Master's hands covered his face. "Ow, you fucking bastard! And yet," he said, removing his hands to reveal that his face was unharmed, "despite your best efforts, I don't seem to be in any pain. Pity. Still, can't have you think that you can go around doing whatever you want. Come on then, out you go." He opened a door on the cage that had not existed previously and grabbed Castiel by the neck and pulled him out the cage. Castiel tried to fight him, but as soon as he did, he found himself unable to move. He was completely powerless.

The Master tossed Castiel on the ground carelessly. His arm stuck out at a weird angle, and his neck ached from supporting his head. The Master circled him chuckling. "Poor little bird alone without his watchdogs. Whatever will you do?" The Master straddled his waist and put his hands on either side of his face. He leaned in close so that he was only a breath away from Castiel. "I can think of a few things." And he kissed him.


	6. Chapter 6

Two of Nemesis's least injured warriors teleported them back to Bobby's house. Nemesis herself was still alive, but just barely. A human now, her temple offered no protection to anyone, and she planned to leave it as soon as possible. Her warriors hadn't offered to stay when they brought them here, instead glaring at them hatefully as though they were the cause of all the world's problems (to be fair, they are the cause of at least a few of them).

Dean and Bobby sat by Sam's side. Despite how confused he must have been by Dean's exhausted explanation and the Doctor's silence, he had been wonderful, moving Sam into a bedroom and making sure that they were all ok.

Sam looked peaceful as he lay on the bed. No one would have guessed that he was in so much pain. Dean almost wished it could last forever.

The Doctor had gone back to his TARDIS without a single word. Dean would have demanded he stay and help somehow, but the Doctor flinched every time he looked at Sam, seemingly full of self- hatred. Dean knew how that felt and let him leave.

"What the hell are we gonna do now?" Bobby asked.

Dean stared at Sam's motionless body as though he was waiting for him to sit up and call Dean a jerk. "I have no idea," he finally admitted. "Do you got anything on that symbol Cas showed me?" Dean had drawn the symbol as soon as he'd returned from the temple. Bobby had been searching his books for it while Dean stayed at his brother's side.

"I think I might have." He stood up and picked an old leather bound book from the nightstand next to bed. "I found out who Amoriel is."

"Who is it?" Dean asked, peering at the book without moving. There was a picture of a woman with blond hair in plain white robes. Light glowed from behind her head. Several people surrounded her, bowed down as though in worship. She gazed down at the with an expression that could only be termed as loving. Dean felt a strange sort of calm looking at the picture. As though everything was going to be ok.

"She's an angel. She's never mentioned in the Bible, but she is in a book on angel mythology from the 1300's. According to the lore, she loved humanity above all else, even her father. Sort of an anti Lucifer. She's supposed to be capable of loving and forgiving anyone."

"What the hell does that have to do with the symbol?"

"Remember how you summoned Balthazar before?"

Dean thought back to the ritual. "Yeah."

"Well you needed a symbol to do that, one that was specific to him. I think that this might be Amoriel's symbol." "

So you think Cas wants us to summon another angel? Don't they all still hate him after he killed all of Raphael's followers?"

Bobby shrugged. "Maybe she forgave him. I did say 'forgive anyone', remember?"

Dean contemplated the information quietly. Finally, he stood up and said, "I guess it's worth a try."

* * *

Dean sat next to Sam's head while Bobby and the Doctor prepared to summon Amoriel. They'd wanted him to help, but he was in no state to even stand up.

Dean felt guilty looking at his brother. He should have saved him, gotten to him sooner, killed Makhai sooner, anything. Now Sam was all but destroyed, Cas was gone God knows where, and Dean actually hated himself more than usual.

He hoped the ritual worked. He hoped Amoriel helped them. He hoped she could help them. He hoped he got to talk to Cas again. Not that it would matter, as was Cas only interested in the Doctor now. It wasn't really fair of him to think that, but he wasn't in a fair mood.

It was his own fault really, he decided. He had denied his own feelings, to himself and everyone else. No wonder Cas liked the Doctor better. He was cheerful and kind and smart and honest about his own feelings (probably). Plus, he wasn't a weak little human.

Dean wasn't even sure why Cas stuck around. After all, Dean was single handedly responsible for every bad thing that had happened to him.

Dean finally decided that it didn't matter. They would find Cas and then Dean would spend the rest of his life either pretending he didn't have any feelings for Cas or without him completely. It was more than he deserved.

* * *

Dean stood behind a table that was in front of a ring of holy oil outside. Bobby stood with the Doctor, ready to light the holy oil. Cas may have wanted them to summon Amoriel, but that didn't mean that she was going to take it well.

The table had all the symbols and ingredients he needed to summon the angel. Amoriel's sigil had been drawn with Dean's blood in the middle, and was surrounded by ivory candles. Carefully, he lit a match and dropped it into a bowl of summoning ingredients.

A white light glowed for a moment before the angel appeared. She looked young, either late teens or early 20's, and was small and pale. Her vessel's hair had been dyed silver with the tips electric blue. The summer dress she wore the blue perfectly. She had silver leather boots that had some sort of lacy pattern pressed into them. Her bright blue eyes were wide and friendly, reminding them all of Cas. Her features were soft and inviting. If she was surprised or angry at being summoned, she didn't show it. She simply smiled serenely at the three of them. Dean remembered how earlier he'd felt a sense of calm from looking at the picture of her. What he felt now was like that, but stronger. He didn't understand how anything could be wrong in the world as long as she was there.

Amoriel started to walk around the circle, pausing to look at each of them in turn. "Dean Winchester. Bobby Singer." Her smile faltered for a moment before she said, "Doctor. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Dean's felt as though he shouldn't say anything around her. This felt sacred, and he was certain it would become less so if he said anything. But she kept waiting for him to speak. Finally, he said, "It's Cas."

She tilted her head in confusion. Dean's heart clenched. The gesture reminded him of Cas. "I do not know of any 'Cas'."

"He means 'Castiel'," the Doctor explained. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Ah. That makes more sense." Amoriel had stopped smiling, her expression completely blank with no emotion. The calm feeling left him, and he turned very cold. Dean realized she was angry, but didn't know why. "What is wrong with him?"

"He's been taken," Dean told her.

"Taken?" She tilted her head again, confusion spreading across her features.

"Kidnapped." "I understand that." Her head returned to its normal position. "By whom was he taken?"

"Gods. Eris, the Master, and Eris's kids." "Master? There is no god named Master."

"He's new." Dean shrugged awkwardly. He was suddenly aware of how beautiful he was and how tired and filthy he was and looked.

"Of course. What is it you need of me?"

"We were wondering if you could help us find him."

"Why should I?" She didn't sound angry. Rather, she seemed genuinely confused, as though the idea of helping them made no sense at all.

"Because he's your brother!" Dean snapped. He wasn't being affected by Amoriel's presence anymore. Now all he could think of was how scared Cas had been when they took him. He was determined to get him back, and was infuriated that Amoriel didn't seem to care.

"I have many brothers and sisters, some of whom Castiel killed. I have forgiven him as I forgive everyone, but that does not mean I have forgotten his deeds."

Dean sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Please. We need your help." He didn't like begging, but if that was what was necessary than it was what he would do. "Cas gave us your symbol. He wouldn't have done that if he didn't believe that you would help us. And just so you know, he is more sorry than you could ever imagine."

Amoriel looked at Dean with her expressionless gaze. She wasn't sure if she believed him. But that _did_ sound like Castiel. And he was her brother, had been since the day they were created. She remembered how good he'd been, and he had acted in what he thought was their best interest. Amoriel believed that he would help her if it ever came to that. Finally, she said, "Alright. I shall help you however I can."

Dean let out a breath of relief. "Thank you."

Amoriel nodded. "Eris has recently taken control of Olympus," she said without preamble. "She has almost certainly taken him there. Unfortunately, I cannot go without being invited without the Fates punishing me."

"Great."

"It is not great. In fact, it is quite bad." Amoriel seemed to share her brother's lack of understanding sarcasm. "However, there is someone who can go there freely who may be willing to help us."

"That's great! Who is it?" The Doctor asked.

"Nyx."

* * *

"This isn't gonna work," Bobby decided, looking down at the black flowers and dried herbs that Amoriel was carefully arranging into a circle with a crescent on either side of it.

"It will work. Possibly." She said.

"Possibly?" Dean repeated from his position on the other side of the circle with the Doctor.

"Earlier, you said it would definitely work!" "That was an exaggeration. And I never used the word 'definitely'. There is an 80 90% chance this will work."

"That's it!" "It's far better than nothing, which is what not summoning Nyx will bring."

Dean sighed. "Fine. What are the chances that she'll actually help?"

"I'm uncertain. We're asking her to betray one of her children, after all, and Nyx has always been one of the beings least likely to do that. However, you say that Eris nearly killed Nemesis, and it may be that Nyx wants justice for that particular crime. And she has broken several ancient laws. Nyx is one of the beings responsible for punishing such crimes. She may decide to punish Eris or give her a chance to seek penance. Either way, we have a chance." She used an angel blade to slice her arm open, using the blood to form a circle in the middle of the symbol. Amoriel stood up, looking over the symbol carefully before nodding. "We're ready." She stood just beyond the circle and started chanting in ancient Greek. None of them understood a word she was saying. Well, the Doctor understood some of it, but not much.

At first nothing happened. But Amoriel kept chanting, and eventually the area filled with dark gray smoke that was too thick for them to see anything else. A person began to take shape in the middle of the circle. Nyx made no attempt to appear human. She easily towered over them with pale gray skin and black hair that fell around her feet and was semi transparent. Her eyes glowed purple. A black dress fell loosely around her body.

For a moment, Nyx stood there surveying them with a look that made their skin crawl. Finally, she asked Amoriel, "Why have you summoned me here?"

"We require your assistance." Dean was impressed by how calm she was. He was doing everything he could not to melt into a puddle under Nyx's gaze.

"My assistance? With what?"

"Your daughter, Eris, has taken my brother Castiel, possibly to Olympus. We require your help in recovering him." Nyx scoffed at her. "I see no reason to help you."

"Your daughter nearly killed Nemesis, all but destroyed a man's mind, and kidnapped a being from another religion. Two of these actions broke ancient laws, and the other one angers me personally as the man was human, the species I have sworn to protect. Were I you, I would have Eris pay for her actions. Or at least have her undo what she can."

Nyx glared angrily at Amoriel who held her gaze steady. Finally, Nyx said, "I shall seek out my daughter and undo as much damage as possible. Not as a service to you, mind, but for her own protection."

Amoriel bowed her head respectfully. "I thank you none the less."

"What do you need specifically?"

"We wish for Castiel returned to us and Sam Winchester's mind healed."

"Very well. I shall do these things."

"What shall you require?"

"I will need to take Samuel Winchester if he is to be healed."

"Of course. Is that all?"

"That is all."

Nyx started to fade from their sight.

"Wait." Dean said.

Nyx looked at him sharply. "What?"

If Dean was scared (he was) he didn't show it. He just said, as calmly as possible, "Eris took my friend and hurt my brother. I want… I _need_ to go with you."

Nyx scoffed. "I should kill you where you stand."

For a moment, it looked like she would. Before she could say anything else, Amoriel stepped forward and said, "Nyx, given that Samuel Winchester will need to be taken to Olympus for healing purposes, it may be wise to send Dean with him. Also, my brother Castiel trusts Dean and will be greatly calmed by his presence. I suggest you take him."

Nyx looked at her with distaste. Up until now, she had seemed to have an unwilling respect for the angel. That was gone. But Amoriel was still a very powerful being with very powerful allies who could go after Nyx if she so chose.

"Very well," she said finally. "Bring your brother. We leave immediately."


	7. Chapter 7

WARNING: Elements of non-con in the following text.

* * *

"Having fun without me?"

Eris watched The Master and Castiel whilst leaning against a pillar next to one of the cages. An angel blade glinted from a belt around her waist. Her hand trailed absently over the clean silver bars. The being in the cage whimpered and wrapped its arms tighter around itself. Castiel could hear it crying softly. He attempted moving, but with little success. He could barely even shift his legs. He might be able to gain more control if he kept trying, but it seemed unlikely. He could probably talk, but he decided against it.

The Master looked at her and smirked. "We were just waiting for you. Weren't we angel?"

The Master looked down at Castiel, who was still unable to move. His jacket, tie, and shirt had been removed and were strewn haphazardly around them. There was some holy oil on his pants and arms from the cage. He was lucky he was an angel, or else the Master's tight grip around each of his wrists would have cut off circulation.

Eris sneered at him. "Oh how the mighty are fallen." She pushed herself away from the pillar and stalked towards them. "There was a time when you could have killed me without much effort and I wouldn't have been able to stop you. Now you're in my home, completely powerless, and even if you weren't, I still have this." She slid the shining angel blade out of her belt and held it carefully in her hands. Eris crouched down behind Castiel's head and placed a hand on one side of his face and the blade on the other side. The Master sat astride Cas's chest, grinning derangedly at Eris. She let the blood cut his cheek, then stared at the leaking blood and grace in delight. The Master suddenly leaned forward and licked the blood away, moaning in pleasure.

Eris sifted the fingers of her free hand through Castiel's hair. The knife cut deeper into his cheek, gouging the flesh. "You know, I'm not usually one for torture. I know that seems strange, but it's true. You can only do so much to a person before they either die or break, and then they're just no fun. But someone has to pay for Makhai's death, and those idiotic little Winchesters aren't here. So you get to play with us instead! Isn't that grand!"

Castiel felt sick, but kept his face stoic, determined not to let them see how affected he was by their ministrations. He thought of praying, but soon decided it would be pointless. If God didn't care about the apocalypse, then he definitely didn't care about this.

If he was honest, Castiel wasn't even scared that they would hurt him. He knew that they were going to, so there was really no point in worrying about it. His main concern was getting out. To do that, he would have to get around Eris and the Master, as well as Eris's less than stable children. And he was completely unarmed. He might be able to get the angel blade if they became distracted, but first the Master would have to release his hold on him. Even then he didn't have much of a chance actually fighting them. They were both significantly more powerful than him at the moment, and even then he could tell that all of Olympus was covered in wards. He couldn't get out on his own.

Strangely, the thought didn't upset him. Yes, it was very likely that he was going to die, but he had before. It was peaceful, with no pain or regret. He wouldn't mind if it happened again. He was upset though that he hadn't gotten to say goodbye to Dean or the Doctor. And Sam, but mostly Dean and the Doctor. He would have liked to tell Dean how he felt, even though he knew that Dean could never return the sentiment. And he wished that he'd had more time with the Doctor, that he had known him better, that he could have explored their relationship better. It was enough to make him sad, but not enough for him to fight.

Eris grew bored with his silence and drew the blade down to his chest, using it pop the buttons from his shirt while she hummed carelessly. She etched a few random shapes into his chest. She was smiling and would have looked gentle if you didn't know any better. The Master rubbed his hands over the shapes, smearing the blood and grace over Castiel's chest and shirt. After a moment, he started to rub the blood on Castiel's face. Some of it got into his mouth and his nose, but still he didn't move, didn't react at all. The Master growled in frustration before striking Castiel across the face. His head rolled back and he felt the sting in his cheek. But he still didn't move.

The Master huffed indignantly and leaned back. "Why are you being so difficult angel? I've been nice. Patient, even." Eris snorted, but the Master kept his attention on Castiel. He slapped the angel again, but Castiel remained still. The Master growled, but stopped. He smiled at Castiel, his gold eyes glowing. He moved so that he was sitting next to Castiel instead of on top of him. Castiel was careful not to be too relieved, as he was sure that this was simply to aid in whatever new torture the mad god had thought of.

The Master hummed happily and slid his hand over Castiel's chest. The blood had begun to dry, but some of it stuck to his hands. His hand brushed lower, to the top of his pants, then inside of them. Castiel resisted the urge to move, to throw the Master off of him. He doubted he actually could anyway. Instead, he stared straight above him as his mind began to retreat into itself in an effort to block out what was happening. Unfortunately, the Master realized what he was doing and used his own powers to force the angel's mind back out of its hiding place. Castiel had no choice but to feel the Master touching him, violating him. He finally tried to fight, but a wave of power slammed into him and forced him back down, now completely incapable of moving or speaking. Eris laughed as she held his shoulders sown, her nails digging into the flesh. The Master started to pull Castiel's pants down -

The Master and Eris yelled indignantly as they were thrown away from Castiel and held against pillars. Castiel felt relief flood him as he realized he could move again. He stood up, but quickly sat back down, weak from loss of grace. He looked to the center of the room. Nyx stood there, skin and eyes glowing, with Dean and Sam at her side. Sam was crouched into a ball with his eyes shut and his hands covering his ears. Dean was kneeling beside his brother, but his focus was on Cas, his eyes staring at him in horror. Cas wondered why he looked like that, before remembering that he was covered in blood, his shirt was ripped open, his pants were basically hanging on him, and part of his cheek had been gouged out. A small part, but still. He stood up to demonstrate that he was fine, and nearly doubled over from the pain in his chest. Dean ran over to him and grabbed his arms, allowing the angel to lean back against him. Cas sighed in relief as he lay against his hunter and close his eyes. Dean sifted his fingers through Cas's hair. It reminded him of what Eris had done earlier, but with none of the ill intent. He sighed and leaned further into Dean, allowing a wave of relief and love to wash over him. _This is where I belong._

Nyx watched the angel, her face emotionless. She soon grew bored with the spectacle and walked over to her daughter, who still fought against her mother's power. She screamed and thrashed, her power flaring out from her like a whip. It was rather unbecoming of a goddess, especially one so powerful. Eris glared up at her, eyes know completely green and giving off an unearthly purple glow. The human mask that she wore began to fall, revealing her gray skin that was pulled tightly against her sharp bones along with wolf teeth and talon-like fingers. She snarled at Nyx, her own power lashing out, angrily attacking her. Nyx was shocked at how much it hurt. Eris had always been powerful, but never before was it enough to challenge her mother. It was extremely worrying.

Eris soon realized that there was no chance of getting out through force and stopped struggling. Her appearance started to change back so that she was still scary, but now due to her energy than her appearance. She growled before saying hatefully, "Mother."

Nyx lifted her head in acknowledgement. "Eris."

Eris made no attempt to be polite, instead grinding her teeth as she spoke. "Is there a reason that I'm being attacked?"

"There are several."

"Really?"

"Yes. You attacked and captured an angel, nearly killed your sister, and brutalized the mind of Samuel Winchester."

After a beat, Eris responded, "To be fair, the last one isn't technically against any rules. It's only discouraged."

Dean shifted behind Cas, who turned to look at him. His jaw wa s clenched and his eyes blazed with hatred. Two things kept him from killing Eris in that moment: 1. Cas needed him 2. She would kick his ass.

Castiel looked at the Master, surprised that he hadn't said anything. He soon realized that it was because he couldn't. The god was shaking his head back and forth as he attempted to yell. His eyes were glowing yellow as his face turned pink from the effort.

Before Nyx could say anything else, Eris demanded, "Where are my children?"

"They're sleeping for now. I will release them later. What is important right now, is that you fix what you have done." She looked to Sam, crooking a finger at him. Sam slid across the floor to her in a way that would have been funny if it weren't sad. He opened his eyes for a moment, then immediately shut them when he saw Eris. He whimpered and continued rocking.

Eris made a disgusted sound as she looked at him. So weak, so fragile. How anyone could love humans at all seemed strange. "What do you expect me to do?"

"Fix him."

"What makes you think I can do that? I never have before."

"You're the Goddess of Chaos, and there is nothing more chaotic than the mind. I'm sure you can find a way."Eris's eyes narrowed before she turned sharply from her mother and focused on Sam instead. She stared at his head, eyebrows furrowing in concentration. She looked like she was picking him apart and examining each of the pieces. After an eternity, she said, " All right. I'll try."

Dean looked at his brother worryingly as that wasn't exactly comforting. But Nyx allowed her to move closer and put her hands on Sam's forehead. After a beat, her fingers began to glow black. She started to pull them away carefully. They were covered in what looked like dark web spider webs. She pulled at them, rolling them into a small floating ball that glowed black. Finally, she was done and there was no more left. It floated above Eris's open hand as she looked at it with a strangely loving look that made Dean feel awkward, as though he was watching something private.

Sam stayed in his place on the floor before withdrawing his hands and looking up. He moved back when he saw how close he was to Eris, then gasped when he saw Nyx. His eyes kept searching the room, filled with fear as he saw the Master, then relief when he spotted Dean and Car, and finally horror as he took in Cas's appearance.

Immediately, Castiel used what little strength he had to heal himself. Or at least what could be seen. He smiled weakly at Sam, who's expression didn't change.

Without speaking, Nyx placed her hand on Sam's arm, and he was gone. The Master glared at them as she proceeded to do the same with Dean and Cas. Eris mindlessly waved a hand at her as she left.

* * *

Nyx didn't bother staying to talk to them. They didn't even see her when they appeared in Bobby's living room, to the relief of the Doctor and Bobby, though Bobby hid it better, only allowing them to see a single gruff smile before calling them idjits. The Doctor was nowhere near so subtle. He practically threw himself at Cas, wrapping his arms around his torso and dipping his face into the crook of his neck. Cas awkwardly returned the hug, carefully wrapping his arms around the Doctor and squeezing lightly.

Dean tried to watch, tried to tell himself he didn't care. But ultimately, he knew the truth. He just wished he'd realized it sooner.

"Well," he began, causing the Doctor to separate himself from the angel, "I'm tired. I'll you guys in the morning." He quickly headed upstairs, trying desperately to look like he wasn't running away. Sam wanted to worry, but he was exhausted, only barely keeping his eyes open. He soon fell asleep on the couch, at which point Bobby left.

The Doctor cleared his throat before saying awkwardly, "Well, I'm gonna head off to the TARDIS. Maybe tinker with the engine a bit. You're welcome to come by anytime you want." He looked at Cas hopefully, but also a little sadly. Cas didn't know why exactly, but he felt as though the reason was hidden in his mind, waiting for him to acknowledge it.

The angel said goodnight then watched without moving as the Time Lord left.

* * *

Dean sighed as he flopped on the bed, wearing only a t-shirt and a pair of boxers. Watching the Doctor hug his angel had been hell, but he figured he could live with it as long as he was never in the room while they touched or - God forbid - kiss. So basically, never. Ugh.

Dean threw his arm over his eyes and tried to get to sleep. Two minutes later, he heard someone knocking at the door. "Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean..."

Dean sighed and got up. When he opened the door, he was faced with Cas with his fist raised mid-knock. He lowered his hand awkwardly and blushed. "Hello."

Dean tried not to sound bitter. "Hello? Cas, what the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be off with your alien boyfriend?" OK, maybe he was a little bitter.

"No, he's in the TARDIS."

"And he didn't ask you to go with him?"

"He did, but I wanted to speak with you." He walked into the room, looking around nervously.

Dean shut the door behind him and asked, "You ok? You're...fidgeting." Even as Dean spoke, the angel was absently tugging at one sleeve.

"No. No, I'm not ok Dean." He faced Dean, his eyes filled with fear and determination. Because that ended so well before.

"Well what's wrong?"

Cas sighed. "I'm not entirely sure how to go about this."

"Just start at the beginning."

"I will try. As you know, the Doctor and I kissed."

Dean valiantly tried not to die at those words. "Cas, I know that already. You don't have to tell me again." _Please don't tell me again._

Cas stared at his hands, which rested in his lap. "I know. The problem with this is that, when we did, he was not the one I was thinking about."

"Oh..." So Cas had a crush on someone? Fan-fucking-tastic. "Who is it?"

"I thought it was obvious." He finally looked up from his hands, choosing instead to stare into Dean's eyes. "Dean... it's you. I love you."


	8. Chapter 8

WARNING: Explicit content to follow (smut). I'm sure you're all very shocked by this since it isn't rated M and Dean and Cas aren't listed as a pairing.

* * *

Dean stood frozen to the spot as Cas's words repeated themselves through his head. _I love you. I love you. I love you._

After a minute, Cas began to worry. Dean wasn't moving, or even blinking. He would have thought he wasn't breathing either if it were not for the subtle movement of his chest. "Dean?"

Fanfiction green eyes flicked up. "Yeah?"

"Are you alright? You have not moved in nearly 80 seconds."

"That long?"

"Nearly."

"Oh." He continued after a beat. "Why... why didn't you tell me?"

"You told Sam that you didn't love me. That you never could." He took in a deep breath, as though bracing himself for a blow that may come at any moment. "And I am... ok with that. I'm not asking anything of you. I never would. I only wish that we may continue on as we were. Friends. Family."

Dean didn't speak for several moments after that. Cas sighed and stood up. "I will leave you now. Goodnight, Dean." He started to walk towards the door, but at the last moment, Dean grabbed his wrist. Cas's eyes furrowed in confusion. "Dean?"

Dean wasn't entirely sure of what he was doing, but that had never stopped him before. He pulled Cas back to him and slightly loosened his grip before grabbing his other hand. he took in a deep breath and pulled the angel closer. Dean settled his hands on either side of his face and pulled him closer.

At first, the kiss was only a simple pressing together of their lips, with no movement or friction. Then they closed their eyes and moved, opening their mouths carefully and allowing their tongues to explore each other's mouths. Cas moaned and moved closer, grabbing the back of Dean's head with his hands. He ran his fingers through the short hair, tugging carefully at it. Dean groaned and clutched at him tighter, pulling him backwards until they fell down on the bed. Dean placed his hands on Cas's chest and pushed him so that he rolled over onto his back with Dean leaning over him. He straddled the angel's waist, stopping for a moment when he felt Cas's erection press against him. He rolled his hips so that they pressed together, causing them to let out simultaneous moans of pleasure.

Dean tugged on Cas's suit jacket. Cas leaned up, allowing him to pull it off. Dean stripped away the torn and bloody shirt and undid the bow tie, throwing them away, hopefully to never be seen again. Dean leaned down to kiss Cas again. Cas gripped his hair, pulling him closer as he moaned into his mouth. Cas pushed him away, and Dean thought he'd done something wrong, but Cas only pulled his shirt over his head, quickly returning to recapture Dean's mouth once he was done. Their legs became intertwined as they thrust into each other. They slowly grew gentler until Cas had one hand caressing Dean's face and the other resting on the handprint burned onto his left shoulder. A wave of warmth flowed through them both from the connection. Dean's hands moved down, mapping his chest and arms, curving over every muscle. Dean pulled away from Cas, moving down. He placed gentle kisses to the underside of his jaw, moving down the column of his throat and clavicle as the angel squirmed under his attention. Dean used his hands to feel Cas's chest before he flicked one of his nipples, and the angel arched against him as he sucked in a breathe. Dean chuckled breathily as he placed careful kisses around the nub. "I love it when you make noises like that. And I'm going to spend the rest of the night making sure you" he licked Cas's nipple, "don't" nipped it, "stop." Dean reached his hand down to palm his angel's erection. Cas slammed his eyes shut as he moaned and bucked into Dean's hand.

Dean moved down the bed and unbuttoned Cas's dirty dress pants, quickly pulling them down along with his boxers. He sucked in a breath when faced with Cas naked in his bed. Confused, Cas looked down at him. His eyes softened when he realized what had happened, and he grabbed Dean's arm, drawing him closer. He cupped the back of Dean's neck and pulled him closer, pressing their foreheads together as they stared into each other eyes. "Dean… we can stop if you want."

Dean let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He lay his head down in the crook of Cas's neck and placed a kiss at his jugular. "Cas… I want this. I want to be with you."

Cas smiled softly and pulled Dean back up to face him. Cas pushed him back down onto the bed so that he was leaning over him. He placed a soft kiss to his lips before shuffling down and carefully pulling Dean's boxers down. Dean blushed when Cas stared at him, nervous about what Cas would think or do. His fears were dashed when the angel wrapped his hand around his member. Dean let out a shocked gasp as one of his hands fisted the sheet and the other reached down to join Cas's hand.

Cas stopped moving, staring owlishly as Dean as his hand stilled. "Dean? Did I do something wrong?"

Dean shook his head. "No, no. You're… you're doing good. Just go slowly."

Cas nodded, moving his hand up and down the shaft, smearing his precome over the head, using it to slick his hand. He slid his hand from the root to the tip, palming his balls. After a minute, he pulled his hand away. Dean looked up at him with a frown. "Why'd you sto- _ahhhhhh!_ "

Dean slammed his eyes shut in surprise as Cas licked his cock, pressing his tongue flat against the bottom. The angel worked his mouth down dean's cock, squeezing Dean's thigh with one hand and placing the other on his hip to hold him down. Dean tried not to move too much, but that was difficult when you had an angel going down on you. His hips bucked against his will when Cas allowed his teeth to graze against a particularly sensitive spot.

Dean sat up, pulling Cas into his lap. The angel's blue eyes clouded with worry, thinking he'd done something wrong. His fears evaporated as Dean forced their mouths together, hands planted firmly on his hips to keep him grounded. They thrust against each other, each move sending a shock of pleasure through their bodies. They came almost in tandem, spurting come over their chests and abdomens. Dean fell back against the bed, dragging Cas down with him. Cas wrapped his arms around Dean's torso, holding onto him as though his life depended on. Dean clutched his shoulders, pulling him ever closer.

Dean let out a breathless "amen", then laughed when Cas just shook his head and huddled closer.

* * *

Eris sat twirling her hands through the thick black goo as the Master watched in fascination from his position next to Artemis's cage. He didn't know what all she'd put in the pool, and to be entirely honest, he didn't want to. He didn't even know what it was for, only that Eris had conjured it almost immediately after Nyx had left (he felt it safe to say that his mother-in-law didn't like him).

If he was being completely honest, he was more than a little scared of the chaos goddess. He had joined forces with her to gain power, and to have help in bringing the Doctor to him, but now he was beginning to wonder if it had been worth it.

Eris kept dipping her hand in the pool, rubbing it between her fingers then pulling her hand up to let it fall into her mouth (he had to keep himself from making a disgusted face lest she see him), each time making a dissatisfied noise. She did this again now, except this time she let out a happy squeak, immediately standing up and skipping over to the clear glass ball that she'd stored Sam's insanity in. She carefully picked removed it from its place in between their thrones before walking over to him. Eris was grinning so widely he was half-afraid her head would split open. He nearly stepped away from her, but stopped himself just before she grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to the pool.

The Master thought of asking what she was doing, but he knew by now that asking her questions was a fast ride to nowhere. Letting go of him, she removed the red and black webs from the glass and let them slip through her fingers into the goo, which started to let off a blue glow. She reached down to her waist and drew her dagger. She was as quick as a viper as she grabbed the Master's hand and sliced it open, forcing it into the pool. He yelled and tried to pull back, but he couldn't. His hand was stuck as though it were in tar. He turned to shout at her, and saw that she had slit her own hand open and was allowing it to sink into the tar. Once it was fully submerged, Eris began to chant:

Ας το παιδί να γίνει μεταξύ μας,

Μια θεά πιο ισχυρή από ό, τι οποιαδήποτε άλλη,

Ένα παιδί που γεννήθηκε από την τρέλα και την εξουσία.

Finally, he could move his hand. He yanked it out, grabbing it and holding it to his chest. The goo pulled away, falling back into the pool. Furious, and a little scared, he demanded that she tell him what she'd done.

But Eris did not even look at him. She'd reached her other hand into the pool now, and was using them to pull something up. She cradled the small bundle in her arms against her chest. It was swathed in a purple silk blanket with silver Greek runes and circular Gallifreyan. He moved closer to her, and finally realized what it was.

The baby's arm waved at him from her position in her mother's arms. Eris cooed at her.

The Master felt as though he'd been frozen. He walked over to her as though he were a machine, incapable of thought or emotion. He took the baby, holding it to him with enough force to make any human child cry out in pain. She only giggled. He smiled in response, an unconscious reaction to his child's excitement. As he started to gain his sense back, he realized that her eyes were purple.

"What's her name?" It never occurred to him that he might choose one, or even make a suggestion. She had done this, made this wonderful being in his arms. It only made sense that she choose the name she be known by.

"Mara."


	9. Chapter 9

Dean blinked open when sunlight settled over him. He covered his eyes with one hand and let the other fall onto the bed. Except instead of a bed, it came into contact with something that felt suspiciously like an arm. This requires further investigation.

Dean shifted so that the sun wasn't in his eyes and moved his hand. Cas lay down on his side with his eyes flickering over Dean's body like a spotlight. Insecure, Dean pulled his thin blanket up so that it completely covered his waist and part of his abdomen. Cas frowned and pulled the blanket away, exposing Dean's body to his gaze. He soaks in the image, memorizing it, blue eyes traveling from his feet to his face, smiling when he sees Dean awkwardly trying not to look at him, then blushing when he realizes Cas saw him stealing a glance. Cas smiled and leaned forward, grabbing Dean's face and kissing him soundly on the mouth. Dean tensed for a single moment - _what's wrong, what did I do, is he ok_ \- and then he relaxes into his touch, returning the kiss and pushing him so that he lays flat on the squeaking mattress.

Dean pulls away, smirking when Cas tries to follow him. "Morning," she said, smiling cheekily. Cas beamed at him and drew him into another, gentler kiss, rubbing his foot against his calf. When they part for breath (when Dean does, at least), Dean soon notices that the angel seems nervous, and kind of scared. Timid, almost. Dean doesn't want to ask what's wrong for fear of the answer, but he was determined to make an effort. He takes in a breath to steel himself, then asks, "What's wrong?"

Castiel hesitated to ask his question, unsure of what the answer would be and feeling caged from the way Dean hovered over him, hands on either side of his head. As if sensing his discomfort, Dean moved so that he was next to Cas instead of over him, drawing his fingers over his chest and pressing gentle kisses to his shoulder comfortingly. Still, Cas stared at the ceiling as he asked him, "What are we?"

Dean froze, fingers rigid against Cas's abdomen and lips a breath away from his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

The angel thought carefully about the question before answering. "We," _made love_ , "engaged in intercourse, but you have done so before, and this rarely involved a relationship. So I am asking you whether or not we are a 'couple'." He used air quotes when he said couple, which would usually cause Dean to at least smile. Now he was too busy considering the question. A minute passed before he allowed his fingers to continue their path on Cas's chest, causing him to relax, though he hadn't realized he was tense.

Dean turned Castiel's head, making the angel face him. Cas stared into his peridot eyes as he spoke. "I thought you were dead, or going to die. I was terrified that I would never see you again, and I decided that when we saved you, I would do whatever it takes to make you happy. I want to be with you, but if you never want to see me again - and I really hope you don't want that - then I will respect that decision. We are whatever you want to be." Despite his calm tone, Dean was felt like he was on fire, wanting to turn from the angel, but unable to do so without him seeing how scared he what Cas might say. His logic had one flaw though: Cas always knew how scared he was.

Cas leaned forward and pressed his lips to Dean's, shifting his fingers through the short blond hair. He soon dragged himself away, somewhat unwillingly, to respond, "I want to be with you, Dean."

Dean grinned boyishly, ducking his head away so Cas wouldn't see how stupid he was being. One last thing nagged at him though. "What about the Doctor?"

Cas blinked in confusion, eyebrows furrowing. "What do you mean?"

Dean sighed, wishing he hadn't brought this up, but knowing it was important for them to talk about this. "He likes you, and you two kissed…"

"You believe he will be upset with us?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, you know him a lot better than I do. What do you think he'll do?"

"I don't think he'll be angry. He may be upset, but I doubt that it will last. He's a good man."

"Better than me?" He had meant it jokingly, but it came off more self-deprecating.

Castiel shook his head. "No one is better than you." He cupped Dean's face in his hand, brushing his thumb next to his eye. "I love you."

Dean tried to say it, but the words stuck in his throat. He tried to force them out, but Cas stopped him. "You don't have to say it. I know."

Dean sighed in relief, thankful once more for the fact that Cas knew him better than anyone else. They kissed again, and Dean let his hand slide down to his thigh…

Cas backed away when he heard Dean's stomach growl, squinting in confusion. Dean sighed and stood up, quickly pulling on a pair of pants and hoping Cas wouldn't realize he was blushing (for God's sake, he just had sex with the guy, you'd think he'd be a little less coy). "C'mon. Let's go downstairs before they think if we're dead."

Cas nodded, walking to the door. Dan yelled to him, "Cas!"

Cas stopped in his tracks and looked back in confusion. "Yes, Dean?"

"Clothes?"

Cas looked down, quickly realizing he was still naked. "That is probably a good idea, yes."

* * *

The Doctor looked up from his lucky charms and smiled at Castiel and Dean as they walked into the kitchen. Castiel sat quietly at the table, glancing awkwardly at the Doctor. The Doctor leaned forward and smiled softly in an attempt to put him at ease. Castiel remained tense, barely even moving.

Dean took out a bowl and a jug of milk before looking for the lucky charms, frowning when he didn't find them. The Doctor pushed the box towards him. Dean looked at him uncertainly before taking the box. "Thanks."

"No problem." No one spoke for a moment so he continued, "How'd you sleep?"

Dean stopped moving, looking to see if he was subtly mocking them. When he realized that this wasn't the case, he answered, "Pretty good."

"Good, good…"

There was awkward silence before Sam trudged into the kitchen, yawning into his hand. Dean rose and lead him over to a chair, supporting him with one arm. Sam rolled his eyes as he sat down, ignoring the lingering pain in his head. "Dean, I'm fine. You don't have to baby me." Still, he didn't protest when Dean began making him breakfast. Sometimes, having a coddling brother has its advantages.

Dean made him eggs and bacon, though he set some aside for Cas.

"Dean, I do not need to eat." Cas looked at the food as though it were going to bite him.

"Try it, it's good."

Cas relented and ate a piece of bacon. He chewed slowly, concentration apparent on his face. Sam fought his urge to laugh. Eventually, the angel stated, "It's good."

Dean smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "What can I say. I'm perfect."

When he finally tore his gaze away from Cas (don't know how he managed, to be perfectly honest), he looked at Sam, who's eye and mouth were wide in shock. Dean wondered what was wrong with him before realizing what had happened. "Oh."

Sam sat in shock for nearly a minute. Dean was sure that if he poked him, he would fall over onto the floor. Eventually he came back to himself and half-shouted, "Seriously! You actually told me that you did not like Cas, but as soon as I'm gone, you two get together!" Castiel flinched at Sam's words, and Dean frowned, moving closer as though to protect him from them.

The Doctor sensed the tension and tried to help. "Actually, they only got together last night to this morning at the latest. I think they were waiting for you."

Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then he laughed. A low chuckle, nothing special, but it made the Doctor happy to know that Dean didn't consider him an enemy, even if they weren't exactly friends yet.

They ate in silence. Finally, Dean asked, "So what do we do now?"

"What do you mean?" Cas asked, confusion gracing his handsome features.

In the blink of an eye, Dean changed from cheerful and easygoing to having eyes as hard and cold as stone, hatred detailed into his every feature. "About Eris and the Master. You know, the people that kidnapped you and literally drove Sam fucking crazy? You don't think that we should maybe, I don't know, stop them?!" He banged his fist on the table, anger suddenly overflowing him as the image of Cas and Sam, helpless and in pain, flooded his mind. He wanted to go to them right now and kill them, tear them to shreds so that no one would never hurt anyone he cared about ever again...

Luckily, Dean lived in a world where Castiel both a) exists and b) knows better than to let Dean try to murder a couple of nearly all-powerful gods. "Dean," Cas began calmly, "we have few weapons that can hurt them, none that can kill them, and no allies. Neither Nyx nor Amoriel will even consider helping us again. I understand your anger, and I want to end this as much of you. But we need to bide our time and find something or someone that can help us." Dean held onto his righteous fury for mere seconds before the energy abandoned him, leaving him looking tired and defeated. He slumped forward onto the table, his forehead pressed into the worn wood. Sam thought that if someone were to kick at him, he would fall to the ground with no resistance.

Cas stood up silently and walked over to his lover, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his head in between his shoulders. He pressed a few careful kisses to his neck and shoulders, seemingly unaware of the other two men in the room. Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The Doctor grabbed him by the upper arm and pulled him outside without saying anything. Sam practically jumped out of his chair, passing the Doctor out the door.

Castiel began to speak to him in a low, hushed voice. "We will set up defenses against Eris and the Master. We will find a way to defeat them, and they will never hurt anyone that we care about again. Ok?"

A beat passed before Dean nodded reluctantly. Cas traced circles on his abdomen. "I'll protect you."

* * *

A week passed, but they found nothing. The strongest weapons they had were the angel blades, which might be able to kill them, but only if they were severely weakened. Castiel had tried reaching out to other pagans, but they were too scared. None of them wanted to be so much as in the same room as Eris or the Master. There was only one, Hel, who had seemed as though she might help, but only if she were certain of victory. Still, he was half certain that the only reason she had even considered it was because she was Gabriel's daughter from when he had hidden as the pagan god Loki. She demanded more information before making a decision, although he was welcome to hide in Helheim, the realm she ruled, so if nothing else, he knew there was a place he could send Dean where he would be safe, although Cas doubted he would like it.

As the days dragged on, the boys grew antsy. Even the Doctor began to leave for short trips in his TARDIS, although he was careful not to change time in case there was an emergency. Sam decided to start searching for a case to hold off the tedium.

Within an hour of searching, he found something. His stomach twisted when he saw where it was, and rushed to show Dean.

Sam stood outside of Dean's door with his open laptop in one hand and was about to barge in when he remembered the last time he did so and ended up seeing much more of Cas than he ever wanted to. Instead, he knocked and waited impatiently for an answer.

Dean opened the door (fully dressed, thankfully) and looked at him in annoyance. "Dammit Sam, I was trying to take a nap."

"Sorry. Is Cas in here?" He braced himself, half ready to go downstairs and wait until the angel had clothes on.

Dean shook his head. "No, he's meeting with Hel again. Don't know why. She already said she wouldn't help unless we were sure we could win." He backed away from the door and let his brother in and sat down on the bed. "What do you need?"

Sam sat down next to him and showed him the news report he'd found. "So get this: within the last week, there have been a sudden influx of patients at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, with a reported 32 new patients all displaying the same symptoms, including amnesia, auditory and visual hallucinations, and jumbled speech."

Dean frowned. "That is insanely specific." A beat passed before he asked, "Get it? _Insanely_?"

Sam sighed, sad by how not-surprised he was. "Yes, I get it. Do you think we should check it out?"

Dean sighed and rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes. "I don't know. I mean, shouldn't we be trying to find something to stop Eris and the Master?"

"That's what I thought too, until I realized where this was happening." He passed the laptop to Dean, nodding when realization dawned on his brother's face.

"It's in Lawrence," he said softly, the name like a ghost leaving his mouth.

Sam nodded. "I don't think it's a coincidence. I want to check it out."

His brother waited a moment before nodding, "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll tell Bobby we're leaving." He stood up and opened the door. "Hey, what do you wanna bet he jumps up and starts dancing?"

Sam scoffed. "Dean come on, that's not gonna happen… he's gonna start singing."

And though he'd never admit it, Sam smiled when he heard his brother laugh fill the hallway.

* * *

Dean resisted the urge to leave the room as Sam interviewed the man. They had been here over an hour, spoken to six different patients and their doctors, and still had nothing concrete. The sterile white halls of the clinic made him antsy, and none of the patients had spoken to them. Some of them hadn't even realized that they were there. Their glassy eyes simply stared straight ahead, as though the walls were holding some sort of secret that only they were privy to.

As though this wasn't already weird enough, they all bore some small resemblance to Sam. This man, who had only been checked in yesterday and that no one knew the name of, had his eyes and his hair was the same color. They looked weird against his clammy skin and sunken eyes. They probably wouldn't have even noticed the similarities if this hadn't been the case in everyone they'd seen.

Finally, Sam gave up. "Thank you for your time, sir." They made to leave.

"Mara!"

Sam and Dean jumped when he heard the man shout. His eyes were wide as sweat dripped down her face. Sam walked back over to him and took out his notepad. "Sir, what does that mean?"

"Her name...was Mara."

"Who is she? Did you see her?"

But it was pointless. Having said his piece, the man laid back on his bed, hands trembling. They realized that he wasn't going to speak again, and left.

* * *

 _The young god would be angry. Yes, very angry. She would kill him… But it was necessary… She needed to be stopped… Stop her… Stop them…_

A world of darkness, of black, purple, and gold… Pain, pain and chaos and time… Blood fell from the skies… A mad man's howling laughter… Green eyes… A little girl's innocent grin as her enemies screamed…

 _Yes, it was necessary…_

He saw her, face twisted in anger. Her small legs carried her over to him and she rested her hand upon his forehead…

He screamed so that his throat was raw in a second, and could scream no more.

* * *

"Find anything?" Dean asked his brother.

Sam sighed and shook his head. "Nothing new."

They had researched the word "Mara" for hours now, and all they had found was that it was a girl's name meaning "bitter". It was almost midnight, and Dean at least was very close to falling asleep at the library.

Dean rubbed his eyes, turned off the computer and stood up. "Ok, I'm gonna turn in. Ready?"

Sam looked back at his laptop and answered, "No, I think I'm gonna stay another half-hour, just in case we missed something."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, the motel is only a mile away. I'll just walk back when I'm done." He smiled appeasingly at his brother, silently urging him to go and get some much needed rest. He soon relented and left, taking Sam's laptop so he wouldn't have to carry it back.

Sam spent 50 minutes trying desperately to find any sort of creature that could be causing this, but nothing quote fit. He was beginning to believe it was one of those things that was just really weird and coincidental.

He dragged himself out of the building, yawning into his hand and wishing he'd left with Dean.

"Hello."

Sam whipped around and stared at the little girl, who couldn't have been more than six years old. Her curled hair was a deep walnut that framed her round face. She was wearing a fancy steel blue dress with some sort of weird silver pattern that looked like it might be circles. Over the dress, she had a black velvet cloak with a silver clasp. She was grinning excitedly, as though she had just discovered a stash of her favorite candy.

Sam stared at her. She didn't look supernatural, but he wasn't going to get closer to find out. Sam rested one hand on the gun in his jacket before saying, "Hi. Where are your parents?"

"Oh, they're looking for me, but they won't find me. It's ok. I'll go back when I need to." She stepped closer, but he backed away. She didn't seem surprised, or even upset. She just smiled wider. "You're Sam, right?" He didn't answer.

The girl took a couple of steps forward and casually waved her hand at Sam. Sam was knocked off his feet and fell several yards away. The gun fell out of his jacket. He crawled over to it, but the girl stomped on it, completely crushing it in a single second. He looked up to see her mere inches away from his face. She placed her hands on his cheeks, and they were gone.


	10. Chapter 10

His head felt like a fog had fallen over it, his body immobile. He tried to lift one of his arms, confused when it remained stationary. He tried to remember where he was, but all that came to mind was a small girl with purple eyes. He blinked in an attempt to rid the world of its blurriness, but unable to bring anything into focus. Every second made his head feel more and more like a drum being beaten.

Eventually, the pain in his head eased up, and he could see.

The girl from before was sitting across from him in a seat that looked more like a throne for a grown man than anything else. She'd abandoned her cloak, leaving it on the floor with her shoes. The dress she wore now was much looser and made of a softer material. In between them was a gold table covered in so many desserts that it gave him a toothache just to look at. Sam looked down, and saw that he was sitting in a chair identical to hers. The only other thing in the room was a black armoire. Sam tried to stand up, but couldn't.

The girl munched on a piece of strawberry cake before cheerfully saying, "Hey! How was your nap?"

"What? Who - who are you?"

"Mara," she answered simply, casually, as though this were the most normal thing ever. She started eating a brownie. When she was done, she stared at him dreamily. It was weird and creepy, but he literally couldn't look away. "And you're Sam."

"How do you know me?"

Mara opened her mouth to answer, but her expression became suddenly pained, eyes wide and skin pale. "Aghhh!" She fell out of her chair onto the floor. Sam wondered what he should do, but soon realized he couldn't really do anything, resigning himself to watching.

Mara's limbs elongated, her hair and nails growing as her teeth fell out and regrew. Her torso stretched out like taffy her weight redistributing. Her dress stretched and tore, now several sizes too small. She pulled at it as though it were suffocating her, and it might have been too. When it was done, she lay naked in a heap on the floor while taking frequent, shallow breaths. Sam tried not to look at her, but he didn't know what the hell was going on or what she was, and the sooner she got up, the better.

Mara stilled and stood up. She wasn't a child anymore, or she didn't look like one at least. She looked like an ordinary 20 year old, grinning like a maniac as she observed the changes in her body.

"Whoo! Sorry for scaring you like that Sammy, but I've been waiting for this for days now!" She walked over to the armoire and pulled it open. She pulled out a few dresses with frills and lace, quickly throwing them to the floor. "Nope." Instead she put on a navy blue tank top, black jeans, and a steel blue leather jacket. She finished the ensemble with a pair of lace-up black leather boots.

Mara sat back down and started eating again. She frowned when she realized Sam hadn't. "Why aren't you eating?"

"I'm not hungry."

"That's ridiculous. Eat." She bit into a macaroon. Sam didn't move.

Mara frowned, her expression turning angry. Her nails sharpened into claws, her teeth became sharklike. Her eyes became entirely purple with no white or black. "Eat!"

Scared, Sam picked up a cupcake and bit into it.

Mara changed back and smiled. "Thank you."

When he was sure she wouldn't take his head off at a moment's notice, Sam said, "You never answered my question."

"What question?"

"How do you know about me?"

Mara laughed. "Well of course I know you, Sam!" She grabbed one of his hands, encasing it in her own. "You're a part of me." After a beat, she continued, "No, I mean, you are literally a part of me. Eris created me using your insanity. And a couple of other things, but that's not important."

By now, Sam was incredibly confused and wondering what the hell he should do when a section of wall formed a thin gold outline. It turned into a door, behind which stood two people. One of them was a plain looking man with black cuffs around each wrist. His eyes were dead, like a shark's. His clothes made him look like a average medieval peasant. He was holding an iron chain in his hand which was attached to a plain collar that rested around the neck of a young man. He had long brown hair and eyes. He kept pulling at his collar, prompting the servant to yank him back with the chain.

The servant pulled the captive over to their table. He looked pleadingly to Mara and Sam. He tried to stand up, but Mara's power kept him firmly in his seat. Mara stood up and crouched next to the man. She smiled sweetly and lifted her hands up, placing them on each side of his head. Her fingers sunk into his skull, glowing purple. The man screamed in pain. Sam covered his ears to black out the high-pitched noise. He stopped after a few seconds that seemed to stretch on into eternity. Mara sat back in her seat, cheeks flushed and eyes bright. Her servant dragged the man away. He didn't try to escape. He babbled incoherently, staring at the goddess.

Mara started eating a sugar cookie.

* * *

Dean dialed Sam's phone number again. He heard his voice out of the speaker, "Hey, Sam can't talk right now 'cause he's waxing, like, everything, but leave a message-", Sam interrupted him, "Dean! What are you doing with my phone?!" It was a testament to how worried Dean was that he didn't even smile at the message. He just shoved his phone into his pocket and paced the motel room as he waited for Cas to come back.

"Dean."

Dean whips around when he hears the angel's voice. "Did you find him?"

Cas nodded. "He's in an abandoned warehouse on the south outskirts of the city. I tried to get in, but it's heavily warded against angels, humans, even gods."

Dean cursed under his breath. He was exhausted and felt as though lately it was just one thing after another. Although, that actually wasn't too far from what his life was usually like, so maybe he shouldn't complain like he is. He sat down on the motel bed, letting his head fall into his hands. He felt the mattress shift as Cas joined him and carefully pulled Dean into an embrace. Dean allowed Cas to comfort him for a few short moments before asking, "Is there any other way we can get in?"

"Yes."

* * *

The Doctor, having not been alerted to Sam's disappearance, was happy to lay on the floor and pretend to focus on the TARDIS's engine. If he was being honest with himself (he wasn't), he was trying to distract himself from thinking about the Master. It was not working.

He sighed and decided to stop "working" on the engine before he lost his hand completely. Again.

Unwillingly, his thoughts turned to his best friend turned enemy. He remembered the way the Master had looked at him at the gala, as though he were an animal that had finally caught its prey after many unsuccessful attempts. Fear had flooded him at the sight, but also a strange sort of joy that he knew he shouldn't feel. The Master had enslaved Earth, tortured his friends, and turned the entire human race into himself. He shouldn't be happy that he was here. If Jack or Martha, or hell, even Wilf knew, they would be disgusted. They would hate him, uncaring of his shame, uncaring of the pain he felt every time the Master refused to come with him. It was as though every time he hurt someone, it was a physical blow to the Doctor.

But this time, he'd smiled at him. Sure, it was the creepiest, most sadistic smile in the history of facial movements, but it was real and it had made the Doctor feel a flicker of hope, fed by the recent memory of the Master saving his life from Rassilon. This feeling did not last.

He allowed himself to wonder what would have happened if Eris hadn't found him. Would he still be alive? Would he have joined Gallifrey in the time lock? Would the Doctor have been able to find him?

Someone knocked on the TARDIS door.

The Doctor sat up and called out, "Who is it?"

"Castiel."

A bittersweet pang went through the Doctor's hearts with a matching smile arranged itself on his face. He opened the door.

"Hello! What are you doing here? Do you need something?"

Cas stood out from the isolated forest, his back as straight and stiff as a ruler. His face was expressionless. He looked incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. He explained that Sam had been kidnapped and although Cas knew where he was, no angel or human would be able to enter the building.

"Blimey. That's a bit of a mess."

"Yes it is. But there are no wards against Time Lords."

"Ok." They stood without speaking for a few seconds before the Doctor realized why that was important. "Oh! You want me to go inside the building?"

"Just to disrupt enough of the warding for Dean and I to get in. We should be able to find and save Sam." A beat passed before he added, "You do not have to do this. I'm sure we will be able to find another way to save Sam if you're uncomfortable working with us."

"Are you kidding, of course I'll come! Just let me get my coat." The Doctor quickly grabbed his coat off of the chairs next to to the console. He checked the pocket to make sure the Master's ring was still there. He wasn't sure why he kept it. Sentiment, he supposed and laughed inwardly. Sentiment for a madman, how like him. Without entirely knowing why, he slipped it onto his finger. It was a bit loose, but it would stay on if he was careful enough (he was tempted to put it back in his pocket after thinking that).

He rejoined the angel outside. "Ready to go."

* * *

The building was three stories tall with several hulking doors, only one of which you could actually open. It was made of weathered concrete covered in dirt, soot, and graffiti. There were many windows, but they were all boarded up, allowing no view inside. The entire area smelled of burnt trash.

Castiel kept his eyes on the door warily with Dean on one side and the Doctor on the other. He could see the wards that coated the walls, glowing bright white in the darkness. He was hesitant to send the Doctor in, but recognized that they had no choice. "You need to disrupt one fifth of the wards. They should be visible on the wall. If you cannot find any within 5 minutes, come back out."

"Easy peasy." He smiled uneasily before walking to the door. It was heavy enough that he had to use all of his weight to push it open and made his back ache. When he was in, he rested against the wall, breathing heavily. "I need to start working out," he complained, then laughed lightly at the thought. After 20 seconds, he started to walk around.

For all that the outside's ruinous appearance, the inside was beautiful and ornate. The walls had sapphire blue wallpaper with a slightly darker damask design before it's cut off by black wainscoting with silver panels. Every 10 feet there were lanterns hanging on the walls with ivory candles that gave off a soft glow that made the empty corridors seem almost homey. The flooring was made of black bamboo, but there were strange streaks of random colors, such as blue and purple and silver.

So far, he hadn't seen any wards. Getting an idea, he took a paint scraper out of his pocket (hey, you never know) and used it to scrape the wallpaper off.

"A-ha!"

Under the wallpaper are sever sigils drawn in blood, with a quarter of a foot in between the geometric designs. He started to scrape them off before stopping suddenly, completely frozen. He tried to say something, but his throat wouldn't cooperate. He tried moving his legs, but they were locked in place. He heard someone walk towards him.

A girl in her late teens or early twenties stepped in front of him, grinning widely. Or at least, he might have thought she were an ordinary girl if he couldn't see her Godly nature. Her spirit glowed a deep royal blue and tyrian purple, whirling around each other as though battling for dominance. Flecks of sparkling silver and gold pepper them, egging them on to worse violence. Her eyes were the same purple throughout with no white or pupil. Her features were twisted in such a way that, while not really ugly, were definitely not human. Her hands are clawed and her teeth are sharpened into points.

She traced a finger along his jaw and eye, scratching slightly, drawing a thin line of blood. There was no mercy in her eyes, only satisfaction and curiosity. Her gaze flicked to the Master's ring. She edged her finger along it, taking in the texture and colors before facing him again. Finally, she said, "I knew you'd come."


	11. Chapter 11

When the Master had used his life force to defeat Rassilon, he hadn't expected to live.

To be clear, he hadn't wanted to die. He had just wanted Rassilon to die more than he wanted to live at the time. And far worse than the fear of death was the terror and pain he'd felt when his Doctor had pointed a gun at him. It was almost funny, the way their positions were reversed, the Master with fear painted clearly on his face and sadness in his eyes, the Doctor emotionless.

But his terror was nothing compared to the relief when the Doctor had told him to get out of the way, and the sadistic joy he'd felt upon hearing Rassilon's shout of terror.

The room had been encompassed in light. The Doctor had stood facing the ancient Time Lord with no fear, only acceptance. He thought to himself, Fuck that.

The Master had gone to great lengths in the past to avoid death. He'd stolen bodies and regenerations, once living as a burnt corpse. But he was more than willing to sacrifice himself if it meant saving his old friend and killing Rassilon.

As the Time Lords fell through the time lock, he had turned to look at the Doctor, but couldn't see him. Then it was as though he were in another dimension. He couldn't see or hear anything, couldn't even feel. He'd wondered for a moment if he were still alive or if this was some kind of blank afterlife. That would be just his luck.

Then he felt something strange. Almost like he was something had grabbed hold of him and was pulling him somewhere else.

Finally, he could see and feel again. The floor beneath him was cold white marble, the ceiling much the same with intricate carvings of lilies and daffodils, of men and monsters battling while women watched with apathy.

The Master sat up and looked around the room. There were no doors that he could see, or windows. All there was were statues.

He was scared for a brief second that they were weeping angels, but this was not the case. They were arranged in a circle centered around the largest of them. He couldn't tell who they were, only that the statues were old and made of the same material as the rest of the building. They had been painted to look like real people and all had some similarities. Black hair, green eyes. Their Greek clothes were purple, black, green, and silver. None of the ones in the circle were more than 6 feet, but the one in the middle was easily 20. Her eyes were like acid, her smile that of a devil. Her ink hair spilled over her shoulders in careful waves. A dagger rested in her left hand at her waist. A snake was wrapped around her like a belt.

The Master walked over to one of the walls, sliding his hands over it in the hopes of finding a door.

Behind him, the statue shrunk and started walking silently towards him. She raised her dagger and plunged it down to his back.

The Master whipped around and grabbed her wrist. Before she reacted, he headbutted her and wrenched the knife away.

The goddess staggered back two feet in surprise, insane grin firmly in place. She punched him in the chest, quick as lightning. The wind was knocked out of him as he hit the wall. She moved closer, and he threw the dagger. It landed firmly in her gut and sprung up, pushing her to the floor. Golden ichor pooled at her waist. He held down one of her arms with one hand and pulled out the knife with the other. She used her free hand to grab him by the neck and haul his body down, slamming her knee into his stomach. He let out a choked groan as he resisted the urge to puke. The goddess took the knife from him and threw it over his shoulder. He heard it clatter on the floor. She wrapped her hands around his neck. He grabbed her wrists to try and force her off, but she was too strong. He could go without air for nearly half an hour, but he wasn't sure how much more damage he could take today before his body decided it wasn't worth the effort anymore.

The goddess loosened who grip lightly and kissed him. Her nails clawed lightly at his throat, leaving a thin line of blood down his neck. His hoody tore apart at the seams under her lithe fingers. Blood gathered under the surface of his skin, coloring him pink.

He didn't know what was happening, but he could feel the power rolling off of her in waves and crashing over him. He got the feeling that if he did anything to upset her, his unexpected escape from death would end. And that could not happen. At least, not until he found the Doctor. (Although he'd prefer not to die then too.) So he kissed her back, secretly reveling at the feel of sharp teeth against his tongue and her silk hair through his fingers.

Around them, the other statues were gone.

* * *

The Master was far more than a Time Lord now, having accepted Eris's offer of the position of consort. But he never stopped being wary of her, her chaotic powers and sudden shifts in emotion. Just being in the same room with her was enough to make him act like he was walking on eggshells. This was an infinitely more difficult task now that they didn't know where Mara was. She was never in a good mood, always ready to blast someone to Hades. He suspected that the only reason she had not done that to him was because of Mara.

Mara. Within a day, she had grown from an infant to the size of a five year old, and was nearly as powerful as her mother. The Master was almost unwilling to admit how much he already cared about her. She was his child, after all. He was nearly as volatile as Eris when he realized she was gone. He spent his days alone in his private apartments, pacing as he searched time and space with his new powers, desperately searching for her. If she didn't come back… if they couldn't find her…

"Dad?"

The Master whipped around. The woman standing in front of him had dark brown hair and purple eyes, with smooth pale skin, and was almost as tall as him. She looked ordinary, especially dressed in a tank top and jeans. But he could sense the power coming off of her in waves of blue and purple energy…

He drew her into a hug. "Mara! Where were you?" He looked behind her for the first time and saw the unconscious man.

The man was floating horizontally in the air, eyes closed and slack-jawed. His arms hung at his sides, fingers nearly scraping the floor. He was surrounded by a faint purple light with silver flecks.

"Doctor." The Master moved past his daughter unseeingly, and was almost immediately next to the Time Lord. His hands hovered over him, unsure what to do now. He finally settled on using one of them to push the fringe out of the Doctor's face.

"How did you find him?" He asked her, voice filled with wonder.

"I took Sam Winchester, and he found me." Mara beamed from her father's approval with her actions.

"You have Sam Winchester?"

Mara nodded. "Yes. Can I keep him?"

The god raised one eyebrow apprehensively. "What for?"

Mara thought of shrugging, but decided against it. Instead she said, "Whatever I want."

He seemed unsure what to say. But finally he smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Of course you can. But first, go speak to Eris. She's worried about you."

Mara smiled and nodded. "Ok." She skipped away and shut the heavy marble door behind, sealing it closed so no one else would get in.

He smiled at the door before turning back to the Doctor's prone body. He looked so peaceful. It was easy to believe he was just sleeping.

Carefully, the Master leaned down and kissed his forehead, nosing along his hair. Silence hung like a veil in the room until he spoke. "Hello Theta."

* * *

Castiel knew as soon as they were gone.

He stood outside the abandoned building, waiting for the Doctor to finish with the wards. Dean fidgeted beside him, occasionally reaching his tongue out to wet his lips. Cas smiled at the gesture, and considered kissing Dean, but that was when he felt it.

Before, he could sense the different people in the building. The goddess's presence was felt like a star; bright, powerful, and full of terrible energy.

Sam's was a direct contrast. Powerful, yes, but in the subtle way that human souls always were, with a layer of softness. Cas could tell there was something wrong. He felt… anxious. Scared.

The Doctor's was strangely similar to that of the goddess. Bright and strong, but with a thin layer of humanity that the Master almost entirely lacked, and that could evaporate in a split second of anger.

While Cas contemplated whether or not to… relieve Dean's tension, they disappeared, as sudden as w bucket of ice water being dumped over a fire. Cas stared at the building in horror and rushed at the door, but the warding burned his hands. "Aghh!"

Dean ran after the angel and grabbed his hands. "Damn it, Cas," he muttered, carefully examining the burns. They had started to fade slightly, but were still red. "What the hell happened?"

"It was the wards. They're still there."

Dean frowned, rubbing Cas's hands gently. "Why hasn't the Doctor gotten them? He's had plenty of time, right?"

Castiel felt like ice had settled over him. "He's gone."

Dean stared at him as horror settled on his face. "No he's not." He can't be. Because if he's gone, then so is Sam.

Dean grabbed Cas's lapels and pulled him closer in desperation. "Cas. Cas, where's Sam?"

Cas took hold of Dean's hands and rubbed soothing circles onto them. "Dean…" He grabbed the spot on Dean's shoulder where his handprint still was, resting it carefully above the jacket. "Dean, don't worry. I will find him."

For a moment, Dean let him see how scared, how tired he was. Then he straightened and let out a sigh. "Ok. Ok, you find him."

Castiel nodded, still holding Dean's hands. He decided it was best that they not stay there lest someone find them, and flew them back to the motel.

Dean clutched his stomach and groaned, resting on the bed. Cas sat next to him and put one hand on his shoulder as he searched for Sam.

He wasn't on earth, but Cas didn't want to resort to checking heaven or hell yet, and decided to search some of the pagan realms instead (although he thought it might be better if he were in heaven or hell. Or at least easier). Within 30 seconds he had found him… on Olympus. Shit.

"I found them."

"All of them?" Castiel nodded.

"Where are they?" Dean asked him urgently, gripping his wrist. His eyes were lit with fear and hope.

Cas wondered if he should tell Dean. It wasn't as though the man could really do anything. It would only worry him.

But he deserved to know, needed to. They needed to figure this out together. He could handle it.

"They're on Olympus."

Dean cursed and ducked his head. "Well this day just keeps getting better and better." He paced in front of the bed, gnawing at his lip. He stopped in front of the bed before suggesting, "Ok, ok… Maybe we can call up Amoriel, ask if she'll help us again."

Castiel shook his head. "No, she told me she wouldn't. Besides, she's not powerful enough to fight them. It's better if we leave her alone."

Dean sighed and tried again. "Fine. How about Nyx then? She can't be happy with what Eris is doing, right?"

Again, Castiel shook his head. "Technically, Eris hasn't broken any rules. We don't even know if she was the one who took them, or if she's working with whoever did. And she isn't exactly a friend of ours. In fact, I think she hates you."

Dean looked at him as though to say 'Seriously dude?' "Well there has to be something we can do! We can't just leave Sam there!"

Or the Doctor, Cas thought, but he kept it to himself. "I know someone who I think might help us," Dean started to look hopeful, "but she might also brutally murder us. It's hard to tell with her."

Dean looked like he was done. "Seriously? That's the best you got?"

Cas shrugged. "For some reason, not many people like us."

Dean thought about this before admitting, "Yeah, I can see that." He tried to think of an alternative, but couldn't come up with anything. "Fine. Who do you want to help us?"

"Hel."


End file.
